Pokémon Go!
by Sentrovasi
Summary: [OT Story] The Pokémon World is growing, with regions popping up on a monthly basis. The Elem region is one such land, with Pokémon, old and new, and an evil unmatched in history. This story is about a trainer, and it begins with a Ditto. [On hold]
1. Wake Up!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. And I also do not own any of the clichéd standard openings I use. Those are just products of others' uninspired imaginations.**

The alarm clock rang on his bedside table; a loud, incessant screeching.

_WOBUFFET! WOBUFFET! WOB—_

In a single movement, he'd squished the little alarm clock. Squished, because it was made of some synthetic rubber, but that only made it more satisfying.

Yawning, he got out of bed, his eyes bleary. Stumbling over to the mirror, he smoothed his hair through as he fingered the calendar he'd hung over it.

_April 1st: Pokémon collection date!_

And all of a sudden he was awake. After taking a quick shower and pulling on his clothing, he sped down the stairs into the living room, where he crashed into his parents, both of them struggling to pull a giant Magikarp through the kitchen door.

"Awww man… is _that_ going to be breakfast…?"

His mother shrugged apologetically. "Well, it was this or the Seaking… and… well Magikarp can't fight back."

Shaking his head, he helped them fit it (somehow) into the kitchen before stepping out of the house. Checking his watch, he found that half an hour had already passed. Shocked, he dashed the rest of the way to the Pokémon Laboratory, the head of which was a certain Professor Goldenrain.

**A/N: I could use Professor Baobab but I found this cooler... oh wells.**

He ran through the double doors of the Laboratory as though they were nothing. Actually, that was because he didn't realize they were there.

_Next time, I've gotta remember to wait until the sliding doors are open _before_ rushing in._

Shaking his head clear, he walked deliberately through the few confused lab assistants and up to said professor who was, truth be told, drooling over his keyboard, asleep.

"Prooofesssorrr!"

As he shouted the word into the professor's ear, he was more than a tad impatient. To think, that on such a day, the most important of his life; that the professor would actually be asleep!

As he shouted the word once again, the professor raised his hand…

And brought it down on our hero's head. At least it served its purpose though. He'd stopped the alarm-clock routine.

"Just… a few more minutes… what!"

And all of a sudden he was awake. Looking around blearily, the first thing his eyes caught on was obviously…

"Ash! What are you doing here at… three in the morning!"

The boy's name was Ash. Not because of that old clichéd Pokémon Master, but because the author (Yours truly) happens to share the same –

"Err yeah, I thought I didn't want to be late so…"

The elderly professor shook his head. Around him, the lab assistants had finally cleared out of their hiding places, assured that there wasn't going to be any mass destruction going on.

"So… Professor… I heard the three earliest people were going to get Deoxys…?"

The Prof blanched as he heard this. If he had known Ash'd be getting his Pokémon that day…

"Eh… well the truth is… we don't _have_ any Deoxys." He shrunk away as the young boy's face began to contort itself into increasingly… contorted shapes. "Erm… April Fools'?"

The boy gritted his teeth. "Fine, what _do_ you have for me?"

The laboratory wasn't exactly the largest one; in fact, it consisted mainly of a single large room with computers along the sides and a large table in the middle. It was to this table that Ash now rushed, for the obvious reason that it held six Pokéballs. The Professor followed behind, unsure of what to say.

"Well… here we have six different Pokémon… choose any one of them."

The boy picked up the first Pokéball, before stopping to wonder how to let the Pokémon out. The professor sighed and touched his finger to a tiny button positioned along the side of the ball. A Caterpie appeared.

"Ahh… I'm guessing I'm not choosing that."

In quick succession he released all the other Pokéballs, impatient. So now there were four Caterpies and a Pidgey. Oh wait. Five. The last was trapped in the Pidgey's mouth. He watched as Professor Goldenrain wrestled it out of the Pidgey's grasp.

"I thought you said six _different_ Pokémon."

At this, the professor sighed. He turned to his lab assistants, or assistant, rather. The rest had miraculously escaped unnoticed. The single assistant probably hadn't passed his evasion course back at Assistant Academy.

**A/N: Alliteration. Woo.**

Looking around, the poor guy finally realized he was alone on this one.

"Well, er… you see… you told each of us to get either a Caterpie, Weedle, Pidgey, Rattata, or a Nidoran of either gender… well the easiest happened to be a Caterpie… and… yeah about the Pidgey… that was me. I kinda couldn't find any more Caterpies so…"

The professor slapped his forehead. "Ah… well I guess I can't blame you. Fine, Ash, I want you to take this Ultra Ball and catch the first thing you see outside."

A few moments later, Ash was back in the room. "How _do_ I get a Pokémon into the Pokéball?"

**A/N: Yeah, this is just testing for reactions… if you liked it or hated it… either way, do review! I tried to make it as… erm… un-clichéd in a clichéd way…**


	2. Ditto This

**Disclaimer: &if I have to put this on every chapter I'm going to knock myself out with a meatloaf. So here it is. Enjoy it.**

**I do not own Pokémon. Apart from the money it generates, I would not want to own Pokémon. I do, however, want to own _a_ Pokémon. Not that I wouldn't want to own many Pokémon but hey, I don't. So, here it is once more, I do not own Pokémon. Both in the generic and specific sense. I do not own _any_ Pokémon, either. If you want to own a Pokémon don't speak to me, because you very likely are too young to remember the Black Plague. Not that I remember the Black Plague, but I refuse to talk to anyone who doesn't. That includes me. Oh lookie, I'm ranting.**

**Oh and an Author's Note here… I've decided to name the towns and cities after Elements. Not Fire, Water and Electric or anything, but… well. Yeah.**

After Ash finally learnt how to open and close a Pokéball, he stepped out once more with his trusty Ultra Ball. This time he waited for the door to open.

It was already getting light, which was good, since it gave the writer an opportunity to describe the surroundings; oh, and also because Ash could actually _see_ what he was catching.

Palladium City was one of those generic city types with a Pokémon Center, a Pokémon Research Lab, and a Pokémon Mart. Like many other cities, it had probably been created with the intention of breaking the monotony of the average Pokémon trainer's trip through the inexplicably dense forests on either side. Not that it wasn't scenic, though; in its own way it probably was. The houses were neatly arranged in a pattern that some might call unnatural, but added to the charm of the place. Trees which looked suspiciously foreign grew from more than one lawn, while others held ponds which contained a plethora of multi-coloured life; from Magikarp to Lotad, the yards of Palladium City were like a veritable menagerie of wildlife.

Ash knew, though, that he wasn't allowed to catch any of those Pokémon. If he'd tried he'd probably have been arrested. Instinctively he stepped out of the city borders into a patch of tall grass. It cut like elephant grass, and was probably the same height as an elephant, too.

"Why would Pokémon even bother trying to live in this…?"

Trying to force his way through the grass was hard enough; finding a Pokémon while doing it would be downright impossible. Stumbling and thrashing, he finally made his way out of the thick grass, and landed face down in a clearing.

**A/N: Now obviously any patch of grass would seem like a clearing to the poor guy.**

Dazed, he stood up in time to hear a rustling coming from a slightly tamer patch of grass. Without thinking, he threw the Ultra ball, hoping that it'd somehow catch whatever had caused the disturbance. Unexpectedly, the ball snapped open with a click and captured the grass. Seriously. It was there one second and was red immateria the next. Puzzled, Ash picked the Ultra ball up. Now it would never be able to hold another Pokémon, that much he knew.

For all he knew, his starter Pokémon was now a blade of grass.

* * *

Back at the Laboratory, Ash told the professor what had happened. What really puzzled the professor was the fact that he'd failed to spot the multitudes of Pidgey and Rattata which lived in those very fields. He was hardly listening as Ash placed the Ultra ball on the table. Finally losing interest in the back of his eyelids, Goldenrain opened his eyes in time to see exactly what Ash had caught.

"Erm Ash… that's a potato."

Which was funny in itself, because potatoes didn't grow where a trainer could catch them. They grew underground, so unless Ash had somehow…

"Professor Goldenrain… the potato has eyes." One of his less astute assistants (He'd hidden under a lampshade during the earlier episode) pointed out.

He was ready to dismiss the obvious remark when he realized that the assistant was right. The potato _did_ have eyes. No eye which buds may have grown out of; that was the only inconsistency. The only eyes on the potato were beady and black…

Ash himself was more than surprised. That is, he was very surprised. How had a blade of grass turned into a potato…? The only way, of course, was if…

"Mew!"

"Ditto!"

Both professor and trainer blurted out the two names before either had time to register what the other was saying. As always, both had different ideas as to what the other was saying.

The professor started first.

"It can't be a Mew. In the first place, why would a Mew appear in Palladium City, of all the strange coincidences…? In the second, the eyes are definitely those of a—"

Ash shook his head. "Eh… wait a moment. I thought you thought it was a Mew as well?"

"What? I said nothing of the sort… why would you think I thought that your thought was— wait a minute…"

**A/N: Thank the Author for that break in his speech; the 'you thought I thought' banter gets a tad boring. Let's fast-forward a bit.**

"In case you haven't realized yet, I was talking about the _Pokémon_ Ditto. Not that I would ever agree to your preposterous idea."

_But what was a Ditto doing there…? I've never even seen one…_

It was at that point in time that the potato turned back into a small pink blob. He sighed.

_Guess the Professor was right after all. Why don't I ever get that kind of luck…?_

It was then he noticed that the Professor had gone back to sleeping. He checked his watch; it was five. Just as well.

Picking up the Ditto and the PokéNav every trainer got at their initiation, he turned to leave. A few seconds later he put the Ditto back into its Pokéball, and _then_ left the building. It would be years before the stains would fully disappear from his shirt…

* * *

The instant he got home, he knew something was wrong. Call it instinct, call it a sixth sense, call it the giant Gyarados that had emerged from the side of the house.

_I knew they should never have tried to cook it. Not that I enjoy Magikarp anyway. Hardly any meat at all._

He rushed into the house just in time. His parents undoubtedly had their own Pokémon, but for some strange reason they hadn't bothered to use them. His mother beamed at him as he returned.

"Look at the appetizer! Isn't it magnificent?"

He shrugged; he wasn't sure what if he'd call it magnificent… but it did have a certain air of majesty, even as it flopped about uselessly, half-in and half-out of the house.

"Well, go ahead! Show us what Pokémon you got!"

It was then that he realized his parents had left the creature to destroy the house just so they might witness his first Pokémon battle. If he had been a die-hard Pokémon battler, he might've been moved to tears. If he'd thought a little deeper, he might've laughed. As it was, he didn't have to do anything. The PokéNav woke.

_… Processing… Trainer ID #900817… Pokémon team confirmed… Name: As – What are you doing in a battle with a Gyarados! Calculated chances of winning are **ZILCH**! **ZERO**! **NIL**! **KAPUT**!_

Obviously it was more than a tad temperamental.

"Err… go, Ditto?"

He threw the Pokéball at the creature. Unfortunately he hadn't as yet mastered the releasing of the Pokémon; he'd ended up hitting the Gyarados. Since the little button positioned in the center of the Pokéball had remained untouched, though, the little creature inside remained inside.

Sighing, he picked up the Ultra ball and pressed the tiny little button to open the Pokéball. Just in time, he turned the ball away from himself so the Ditto didn't splatter all over him. Like all proper parents, they oohed and ahhed as their child's first Pokémon ("A Ditto!" they exclaimed delightedly) made its debut appearance.

"Now attack it, son!"

Throwing all caution to the wind, he randomly called an attack.

"Tackle, Ditto!"

Oh for heaven's sake –

Ditto slammed straight into the Gyarados, doing minimal damage due to its squishy body.

"Er… Swords Dance?"

Ditto hopped around, wondering if this was meant to achieve anything.

_Ash! Just listen for a second! The only attack Ditto is meant to use is Transfrom!_

"Transfrom…?"

_Oops typo. Transform. Just… use it._

"Fine. Ditto, Transfrom!"

_Transform!_

"Sheesh. Got it."

**A/N: And here I am at the end of the second chapter. Just how many Gyarados can Ash's house fit? Stay tuned for more! Oh and remember to R&R. Fine. So you've read. Just review, then.**


	3. Of Struggles and Meetings

**Disclaimer: I'm broke. I've no originality. I do not own Pokémon.**

Two seconds after using the attack, Ash wasn't sure it was such a good idea. After all, his house wasn't typically meant to house two Gyarados; heck, he didn't know anyone whose house _was_.

The first thing he noticed, though, was that his Gyarados wasn't quite the right colour. Not exactly what every other trainer would have on his mind at such a time, but it was _something_.

"Eh… Ditto… I'm thinking Gyarados aren't meant to be red and white."

"_Eh? Sorrieee… being cooped up in a Pokéball too long does that to me."_

Not that Ash actually understood though. However, the two Gyarados were now blue, and that was that. Flipping his PokéNav open, he aimed its receiver at the Gyarados and pressed A.

_Analyzing… okay wait maybe I was wrong. You **do** have a chance of beating this guy._

His parents cheered. He slapped his forehead. Ditto-Gyarados tried to catch its own tail.

"Ditto! Use Bite!"

Ditto tried, ineffectually, to bite down on the enemy Gyarados.

_Hey…? It doesn't look like this Gyarados' jaws are adequately developed for biting yet…_

Checking his PokéNav, he checked the Moves Database for Ditto-Gyarados.

Splash **5/40**

** - / -**

** - / -**

** - / -**

"What…?"

_Like I was going to say… since the Magikarp was evolved at an accelerated mode by being put in the cooker, it stands to reason it doesn't have enough experience to learn any skills yet._

"Fine… Ditto, Splash."

Ditto thrashed around helplessly, damaging nothing but its dignity. It was a mercy that the Gyarados could do naught but the same.

_Now what…?_

Resignedly, he continued using his only attack.

"Ditto, Splash…"

"Ditto, use Splash…"

"Ditto… just…"

A few Splashes later, though, he realized something had changed in Ditto. The Gyarados was still splashing around energetically, but his Ditto was entirely worn out. A red LED light blinked on his PokéNav. Opening it, he saw the following message:

Splash **0/40**

"What happens now…?"

_Try getting it to Splash again._

"_Again…? Ooh… it can't be serious, Dit…"_

"Ditto, use Splash!"

"_Ahhh…!"_

Tired to the point of collapse, Ditto made a last-ditch effort to use Splash. Instead, it used Struggle.

"What?"

This time, his PokéNav's usual voice was replaced by a completely automated one.

_Struggle. This attack is only used by Pokémon with no other recourse. Does minimal damage, while hurting itself._

"That's better. Why'd I have to listen to that stupid voice before?"

_Because that **was** my real voice. I'm just tired of answering your questions._

"Ahh… Ditto use Struggle!"

"_What…! Ahh… if I must, I must."_

Ditto twisted its body around, flailing madly. Catching the Gyarados under his chin, it sent him flying… and landing neatly in a heap beside the pond.

"Hey I think that did it! Nice work, Ditto."

Exhausted, Ditto de-transformed into a pink blob again.

"_You'd better let me have a big rest after this, or I'll never forgive you, Ditto."_

"Fine. You'll get your rest after… hey? Where's my Ultra Ball?"

Immediately everyone was down on the floor, searching for the ball. Two minutes later, they found it. Only it wasn't quite the same ball. It had been a marvel of technological circuitry and space-time compression. Now it was quite the same thing, only squashed.

"Well… fine. Ditto, just go up to my room and get some rest. I'll call you when it's time for breakfast."

Ditto slowly slid up the stairs, almost too tired to move. He followed it up and pointed the room out, then watched in amazement as it slipped through the keyhole. Shaking his head, he walked down to help his parents as they pushed the Gyarados back into the pond.

"You know what? I think I'll just head down to the Pokémon Mart to buy us some breakfast."

"Not a bad idea… I'll just give you some petty cash…" sheepishly, his father took out his wallet and thumbed through the notes carefully.

Two minutes later, he had 10,000 yen in his pocket, and was ready to set off. Though it was true, he didn't have Ditto with him, and it _was_ a _Pokémon_ Mart, and of _course_ the shop didn't open until eight… but who could get in Ash's way?

* * *

The Pokémon Mart was more of a convenience store; it was one of those generic stores that spring up wherever a city is. It specialized in every thing Pokémon; from Pokéballs and the basic Pokégear to other, more esoteric things, like Tauros jerky and Mantine fillet. Mantines were delicious; the only drawback being their expensive prices.

Ash stepped into the PokéMart, feeling the warm air conditioning wash in waves over his skin. It had helped that he'd waited an hour before trying to enter; he doubted Officer Jenny would be very pleased if he'd tried to force his way in. He wasn't _that_ stupid. The receptionist wasn't there yet; it looked as though he was the first customer for the day. Stepping towards the lift, he fingered the directory while he waited.

_5F: Roof Access_

_4F: Trainer Supplies_

_3F: Pharmacy_

_2F: Poké Takeaway_

He could just have walked up to the second floor, but of course he had some other things on his mind, too. After stopping off on the second floor to buy the usual (A Miltank brisket, some rice balls and a vegetable soup), he hesitated. His pockets jingled with the sound of loose change; 3700 yen of it, to be precise. Deciding, he stepped into the lift and pressed the button marked with a tiny '4'.

_I'm allowed to look, aren't I?_

'Ding-dong'

The lift doors opened, and Ash entered to see four other trainers standing around the counter. Each of them, he could see, had an Ultra ball under their belt. He supposed the professor had done the same to each of them. They had probably entered a little after he had, but since he'd dallied around the meat section (The Miltanks weren't exactly the freshest he'd seen) they'd probably come up first.

Two boys and two girls. All of them he recognized; though he wasn't on speaking terms with any of them. At the sound of the lift, though, they'd all noticed him..

One of the boys instantly recognized him.

"Aren't you that crazy kid with…?"

Ash nodded, before turning to the shelves and browsing through a selection of Pokéballs.

"What's your starter?" one of the girls called over to him. Instantly there was a fight for voices to be heard as each tried to show their own starter off.

"Mine's a Vulpix! My mother caught me one the last time she was up at Rubidium."

"Well… I got a Rattata…"

"Come on out, Pidgeotto!"

"I just took the Caterpie that was already there."

_Eh…_

He turned around to face them. They were all around the same age; they all came from the same Pokémon school. It was funny to think how fast time had actually passed. Soon they'd actually be _rivals_.

"Well, where's _your_ starter Pokémon?"

The other kids were looking at him strangely now.

"Sleeping at home," he shrugged.

"Can't it sleep in its Pokéball?" the girl who asked the question obviously was intent on taking her Pokémon everywhere she went.

_I can't because it's crushed._

"Well… it just has a thing about Pokéballs… see…"

But they had already made their purchases and were heading towards the lift.

"Did you see how angry Goldenrain looked this morning…? Looks like _he_ woke up the wrong side of the bed…"

And then they were gone.

Confused, he left as well. The cashier sighed as she watched them go. The boy with the Caterpie had forgotten his change.

**A/N: First time he doesn't appear quite so insane. While it's meant to be strange and funny, it's meant to have a plot as well. So I'll try not to spoil it by making him entirely crazy.**


	4. Elevator Action! Don't Spill the Soup!

**Disclaimer: I discovered I'm finding it fun to write these disclaimers, so here it is. If you don't like it I suggest you skip everything else that's in bold because it's all going to sound like this. Pokémon is a concept I have never owned. I have tried to own it but have never succeeded thanks to strange copyright laws which put me in court every time I try to advertise PokémonKeys. Which are monkeys you can keep in your pocket. Woo.**

The lift held all five of them. It wasn't a very large lift, and they had little space to breathe, let alone talk. But talk they did.

"When you got to the lab, weren't there six Pokéballs?"

The boy who asked this question was tall and lean, lean, leaning against the wall of the lift. The other boy he'd directed his question at was small and looked rather claustrophobic. He was keeping away from the sides, as though afraid the walls might suddenly disappear.

"That's right… but there are five of us here…"

One of the girls looked up, watching the numbers as they went from 3 to 2.

"I wonder who it is…?" she mused.

Ash shifted uneasily in his corner; as far as he knew, whoever it wasn't going to die of suffocation in a tight, enclosed box. He closed his eyes.

As though it was a trigger, the entire lift suddenly shut down. There was a moment of juddering, a strange sound like metal clanking, and then a feeling of dead weight; of loss.

According to the number displayed, they were trapped somewhere between the 1st and the 2nd floors. And then even that shut down. Everyone was over everyone else on the floor; there was a mad instant where everyone was trying to get up, shaking the compartment violently. Ash thought he could hear the screeching of metal against the side of the shaft.

The tall one quickly walked over to the console and pressed the button for the emergency bell. Ordinarily, the bell would've rung, allowing others to realize there were actually people trapped inside. Ordinarily, that is. Instead, they heard a muffled sound, like a thwacking of something hard against something soft. It reminded Ash of how his Wobuffet alarm clock sounded when he smashed it.

Of course, in this case it meant someone had muffled the bell. There'd be no help from that end.

* * *

There was one more character that hadn't spoken, of course. The girl had red hair, red irises, even an entirely red outfit. Throwing her Pokéball (Which had been painted red on the underside, too) she released her Vulpix.

_Well _she's_ certainly impulsive…_

"Vulpix! Use Ember on the ceiling of the elevator!"

_What…? But…_

"W–Wait! Caterpie, let's go!" the smaller boy released his Caterpie from its Pokéball as well.

The lift shook as the weight of its cargo increased. _And_ as the Vulpix burnt its way through the ceiling of the lift, rendering the steel cables which held it together useless. Vulpix and girl stepped back as they realized what they'd done.

"Caterpie! String Shot!"

The Caterpie released seven threads of strong string; one to each corner of the elevator compartment, and two more towards the loose elevator cable. The last one, coincidentally, muzzled the Vulpix nicely.

Ash gaped. He'd never seen any Caterpie shoot with such precision before. Though technically, he'd never seen any trainer who'd dared to use a Caterpie, either.

Just in time, the string lashed the elevator securely to the cable. A slight swaying and that was it.

"Well," the girl said, "at least we've got the roof open… no?"

The other trainers gathered around her menacingly.

"Hey guys, if you're going to kill her, let's get out of this elevator first."

Ash stood up, and walked over to the other girl.

"In case you've forgotten, you've got a Pidgeotto."

The girl stared at him blankly, then with a look of dawning comprehension.

"Oh, right."

In a few seconds Pidgeotto was out of the lift shaft, looking to find a way out, remove the muffler around the bell, or bring back a Milkshake.

The girl shrugged. "It's not my fault I'm hungry…"

* * *

They waited, unsure just how long the string would hold. The red girl was trying to remove the silk muzzle off her Vulpix, occasionally shooting dirty glances at the small boy. The tall, leaning boy tossed his Pokéball up and down in the air, occasionally fumbling and releasing his Rattata. He could tell the Rattata wasn't especially appreciating it; and he wasn't, either. Magically appearing and disappearing weight might have worked to keep Pokémon easy to carry, but it didn't help when the slightest imbalance might send the lift crashing into the ground.

"_Caterpie…"_

He turned to the boy in the corner. His face was even paler than before; definitely a sign he had a being-trapped-in-a-lift phobia. It wasn't uncommon, not in small pale boys who looked like they were claustrophobic. The Caterpie was resting on his head, which was kind of cool in a kind of gross way.

"Hey, can I borrow your Caterpie for a bit?"

"Wh-why?"

Ash sighed. If he didn't get the food back in time, it'd grow cold. And also it'd probably be entirely devoured by the other children. He checked his watch. Fifteen minutes had passed. Not enough time for the food to grow _too_ cold, but enough to be worried. Much of the staff weren't present yet, and without the emergency bell, they'd probably be more worried about the freezer systems than whether there was anyone stuck in their lifts.

_Typical. People never think of the less obvious possibilities._

It could be another half hour before power could be restored, and in their current precarious state, they mightn't be able to wait that long. The boy relented, giving Ash control of his Caterpie. A better storyteller might be able to tell you what Ash used it for more interestingly. I am not that storyteller. Suffice to say, he used String Shot.

* * *

In a minute or two, a pulley system had been set up. He looked at Caterpie. It was strange that such a small creature had such a capacity for string.

_You'd be great at parties._

The other boy had stopped dropping his Rattata on the floor now.

"What's _that_ supposed to be?"

Caterpie jumped back atop its trainer's head. The trainer in question grabbed a rope of string which had been attached to the floor.

"Everyone, hold on." was all he said.

He _catches on quick…_

Grudgingly, they all obeyed. Soon they had all five trainers holding on to a single length of string. After he was sure they'd all got a good grip, Ash yanked on the end of the String; hard. He'd made sure Caterpie hadn't secured it _too_ firmly.

There was a loud groaning noise as the lift began to shake. Startled, the Pidgeotto girl let go and the lift began descending rapidly. Just in time, she grabbed hold of the end. Their descent slowed to a trundle. It was just as well the string was sticky and soft; he could get serious rope burn from this.

In a minute, they'd reached the bottom of the elevator shaft. Caterpie, who'd been feeding extra string through to them, was thoroughly exhausted. The boy, grateful to be on a stable platform, recalled Caterpie.

"And now… we wait."

* * *

It really was quite boring, waiting. Ash spent much of his time randomly pressing the emergency bell button. It reminded him of home. The other children were in various states of sleeping, stoning, and Pokémon battling. He considered screaming for help, but he doubted he had the voice. Anyway the shaft walls were probably soundproof. Everything was something-proof nowadays. Construction companies did it so it looked good on their reports. Heck, even alcohol was proofed. He sat and watched their battle.

"Rattata, use tail whip!"

"Vulpix! Dodge and use ember!"

The usual screaming of a Pokémon battle. He wondered why they'd have to be so loud.

He got to his feet as the embers nearly landed on him. Quickly he went into Protect-the-Food mode as attacks began to get wilder and more violent.

"Rattata! Use quick attack!"

"Vulpix! Confuse Ray!"

Confusion was a lot like being drunk. Immediately Rattata's actions revolved around two things: Smashing things up by accident, and smashing things up on purpose. Ash ducked and rolled as a tackle went over his head. He stopped briefly to check the status of the soup. You really had to hand it to Immaterion Corporations. _They_ knew how to make to-go lids.

But the food was still in jeopardy. At any second a stray attack might destroy the food he'd tried so hard to protect…

But then it was all over. The power came back on. The author sighed. What an anticlimax.

* * *

By the time they got out of the lift shaft, half an hour had already passed. Before the staff from the PokéMart had managed to get around to talking to them, Ash was out the door. Or rather, he hit the door. It was only a moment later he stumbled out.

_Darn sliding doors_

The boy with the Caterpie watched him go, and then sighed.

As usual, he'd forgotten his change.

**A/N: One chapter a day, as always. Introduction of side-characters, part one, complete! **

**Sorry about the rush, but Lilio keeps trying to annoy Ravaya. It's hard enough to cook without the implements fighting amongst themselves…**


	5. Transform! It's a Trainer Battle!

**Disclaimer: It's Sunday. And I do _not_ own Pokémon. If I owned Pokémon I'd rule the world. If I owned _any_ Pokémon I'd have a strange haircut, speak in Japanese, and be entirely indestructible.**

He returned home just in time. The Miltank was beginning to get cold. Checking the soup one last time, he stepped into the kitchen. It wasn't very difficult; in his absence his parents had taken out the damaged wall in its entirety; there wasn't really much point in keeping it, anyway. His mother's Hitmontop had done most of the damage; right now his father's Azumarill was simply clearing away the debris, with the help of his father's Azumarill.

…

It was only on closer inspection that he realized one of the Azumarill had a Pokéball on its tail. Slapping his forehead, (something he was doing incredibly often these days) he picked the Azumarill up. Instantly it de-transformed into Ditto and dropped to the floor.

"_The next time your parents need some chores done, Dit… that was tiring…"_

Ditto sank into itself so it looked like a pink puddle on the floor.

"It's lucky we don't keep a Houndoom… or it might just lick you off the ground."

Frightened, Ditto transformed into a potato again.

"Ditto… if that's meant to be a defense mechanism it won't really work."

"Ash… stop playing with your Ditto and give us a hand!"

Sighing, he left the potato where it was and walked over to where his parents were unrolling a giant rug. It was as long as the house, and he'd no idea where they dragged it out from. Emblazoned on one side it bright yellow letters was a single word.

_Welcome

* * *

_

He sat on his bed, watching as the Ditto watched him. In his hand he held the crushed remains of an Ultra ball. Next to him lay a pile of Pokéballs.

"What now?"

He voiced the question to the empty air around him, to the Ditto looking at him curiously, and the pile of Pokéballs which had all, strangely, failed to capture the Ditto. The PokéNav crackled as its voice came to life again.

_To prevent other Trainers from stealing other trainers' Pokémon, all Pokéballs have been installed with safeguards; no Pokémon may be caught by more than a single Pokéball. **Ever.**_

Ditto was still looking at him curiously. By that I don't mean it was curious or anything; it was just that, well, it was curious how Ditto might rearrange its facial features so its eyes were under its mouth. In that way it was curious. Yeah.

Waddling forward, Ditto stared into the glossy surface of the Pokéball, willing itself to enter it... and...

A few minutes later, Ash was ready to go, a bright green Pokéball attached to his belt.

* * *

The backpack was really killing him; he didn't know why his parents expected him to bring so many things when he was going to be able to rest at the next Pokémon center anyway. Like many others, he _did_ intend to travel the world with his Pokémon and become a Pokémon master…

_Not that there aren't already enough of them. For heaven's sake, one's crowned practically _every year

But he was going to try and start small. Thus it was a big relief when someone finally challenged him, and he had a chance to put the heavy pack down.

The tall boy was standing just outside of town, leaning against a tree, as always. He was watching as his Rattata finished off another wild Pidgey. Looking around, he wondered why wild Pokémon always seemed to disappear down a plot-hole every time a battle was concluded. He had hardly taken three steps before the boy had noticed him. Of course, the three steps he'd taken had consisted of him falling down, standing up again, and falling down once more.

The boy's eyes quickly flicked to his belt, where he espied the Pokéball of garish green.

"So… you have Pokémon…"

Instantly he sprang to his feet, his Rattata by his side.

"Let's battle!"

Or that's what it would've sounded like, if he hadn't fallen over as well. After all, he didn't have anything to lean on.

Ash took off his backpack and helped the other boy to his feet. Now they were both standing, the battle could officially begin.

"Err… go, Ditto?"

He threw the green Pokéball, which fell to the ground and landed in a squishy mess.

"Eww… what kind of Pokéball is that…?"

But the green slime soon reformed itself. It was unmistakably a Ditto; albeit a green one.

"Ditto, you're green."

"_Eh… oh."_

The Ditto shook itself vigorously, and soon it was back to its original colour. If it had been a comic book, both trainers (and the Rattata) would've sweatdropped. (This is a strange thing that Japanese comic book heroes often do, just in case you don't know)

But back to the battle. The tall boy had collected himself. Now he shouted a command.

"Fang! Use tackle!"

_Obviously he'd bothered naming his Pokémon. Which I haven't done. How typical. Me. Always the last to…_

Ash hadn't even bothered saying anything. The Rattata tackled Ditto, sending it into a shivering fit of disgust as the pink slime left its head feeling cold and wet.

"You might want to rethink that strategy. Ditto, you know what to do…"

Ditto nodded, and, jumping back, began to transform.

"What…? An… a Hitmontop?"

Ash nodded. It was pink and green, but it was definitely a Hitmontop.

The battle wasn't going to last long.

* * *

The boy recalled his Rattata, beaten.

"That… that wasn't fair! Your Ditto's meant to only be able to transform into Fang over here!" The boy indicated the purple Ultra ball which contained his Rattata.

Ditto looked up at Ash, puzzled.

"_Why?"_

Ash shrugged.

_Must be a custom I haven't heard of yet._

Grudgingly, the boy counted out a few hundred yen and handed it to Ash. Weighing the money in his hands, he watched the boy trundle back towards the Pokémon laboratory; presumably they'd installed a Pokémon recovery machine there.

_So _this _is how Pokémon trainers survive…_

Pocketing the money, he looked to Ditto.

"Return."

It clambered up his pants and onto his belt, then slowly transformed into the same, sickly green Pokéball. Ash tapped it gently.

"You're meant to be purple."

"_I know. But we're both different, aren't we?"_

He waited a moment, then, realizing it wasn't going to change colours, sighed.

It _was_ his Ditto, after all.

**A/N: I was fed up wondering why Ditto could never transform into anything but the Pokémon in front of them. So long as they learn how to utilize their bodies, it shouldn't normally be a problem… hopefully you lot will review… I'll be waiting!**


	6. Why I want a Pokéball for Christmas

**Disclaimer: I will never own Pokémon. Not in a thousand years. I probably wouldn't live that long.**

Ash had reached Rubidium before he'd known it. There weren't really many landmarks to mark how far he'd gone, anyway. It was mostly just tall grass and very tall grass.

_And don't forget the trees… wait. Why am I thinking this…?_

And trees, of course. Very dense trees that you couldn't walk through, for some unspecified reason.

Rubidium was another example of a generic city. It had a small PokéMart, a large Pokémon Center, and an even larger Pokémon gym. In some strange fashion, the organizers of the Pokémon League had decided that this gym was to be the weakest gym of all the official gyms; that is to say, gyms that actually were authorized to give out badges. The buildings here were mostly high-rise, and interestingly, most of them looked like they were merely ornamental.

Ash noticed that when he first walked up to one. The façade just looked too perfect to be real; the windows were made of a glass that could hardly be said to be see-through, and, most inexplicably, most of them lacked doors.

_These architects sure are weird_, he thought, shaking his head.

The Pokémon Centre was an unfamiliar sight. Whoever had ordained that Pokémon laboratories were limited to one or two cities had also somehow made sure that the towns _either_ had a Pokémon laboratory _or_ a gym and a Pokémon Centre. Of _course_ he knew that there wasn't much of a point having a gym, a Pokémon Centre _and_ a Pokémon laboratory in the same city. Heck, the last time that'd happened, they'd _burnt_ it down.

_The Pokémon laboratory in Cinnabar, that is. Why am I clarifying my thoughts to no one in particular?

* * *

_

He stepped on the welcome mat, pursing his lips as he surveyed the giant Pokéball dome which made up the roof of the PokéCentre. The sliding doors silently slid open, a cautious Ash waiting till the doors were _fully_ open before daring to step through.

In the era of backpack trainers, PokéCentres had developed to provide lodging for trainers. Of course, they weren't expected to supply food as well, but the PokéMart was always ready to solve that problem. This PokéCentre was relatively empty; most successful trainers rarely revisited past cities. Directly in front of him was a counter with a small bell shaped like a Pokéball. Ringing it, he'd hardly waited three seconds before a red-haired woman popped up out of nowhere, frightening him and his Ditto out of their wits.

"Welcome to the Rubidium Pokémon Centre! How may I help you?"

Ditto shook itself up to turn its colour back to pink, then sat on the counter docilely.

"Err… could you just heal my Ditto here, please?"

The nurse (her nametag read Joy) smiled in a way that seemed sincere and plastered-on at the same time.

"Of course. Please return your Ditto to its Pokéball and I'll heal him in a jiffy."

Taken aback, he looked at Ditto, then looked back at Nurse Joy.

"My Ditto… he doesn't _have_ a Pokéball."

The nurse's smile was still plastered on her face.

"Then I'm afraid there's nothing I can do. Goodbye!"

Ash stood there, wordless for a second, then blurted out a single "But-!"

"Yes, we _do_ have facilities for taking care of Pokémon _outside_ their Pokéballs, but it's only for severely wounded, abandoned, or overly dramatic Pokémon. Since your Ditto isn't any of the three, I'm afraid we don't have the means to treat him. Bye now!"

Ash would've sweatdropped again, but he didn't. For reasons why, please revisit chapter five. Since Ditto _was_ technically a Japanese character (not like some _totally_ original character I did; har har har), it _did_ sweatdrop. A big pink drop of some indiscernible liquid dripped to the ground, only to be reabsorbed into Ditto. Ad nauseam.

He turned and plonked himself down on one of the cushy loveseats that seemed to have been placed there for that exact purpose. There were three of those, all lined up nicely against a wall. Lined up not so nicely against the same wall were a dustbin and a cactus. It was several seconds before he realized which side the cactus was on.

_Why does the author do this to me…?_

Cursing, he picked the spines out of his black-and-white Official Pokémon League jacket, which had been conveniently left out of any description of Ash so far, for the express purpose of being able to be turned into a really cool trenchcoat if the need arose… but it's too late now. Anyway the OPL brand was a really popular one in the region, so it wasn't _all_ bad.

He wasn't sure what he'd do now. The assumed truth that had spread around was that once a trainer entered a town, he healed his Pokémon at the PokéCentre, looked around for interesting side quests, completed the interesting side quests (if any) and defeated the Gym leader (again, if any); in that order.

Since he couldn't heal his Pokémon, he was pretty much buggered on that front. He turned to look at Ditto, and realized that it had already fallen asleep on the cushy surface of the loveseat. Watching it, he wondered why it would actually _need_ healing anyway. Any wounds it sustained could instantly be covered up; it _was_ a transforming Pokémon, after all.

_The only thing it needs is rest._

He was close to falling asleep himself when a shadow loomed over them.

* * *

It was kind of surprising that a shadow _could_ loom over him, since the only lights were against the walls so it'd be highly improbable that a shadow might actually fall on them; but of course no one cared. Boo. 

The shadow belonged to a girl; a really tall girl. Or maybe it was because Ash was sitting down because she seemed really tall. Even though her face was in the shadow she was wearing sunglasses. Which was remarkable, firstly because he could see the dark glasses, even though her face was entirely in shadow; and secondly because she _could_ actually see.

Her hair was purple and cut to her shoulders. Ash stared, his mind in turmoil.

_Why can't _I_ be cool and special like that…!_

She was wearing an outfit that was entirely black, except for a purple Pokébelt from which hung three Pokéballs; two of them were blue and red, with a lightning bolt on them, while the last was a normal, red-and-white one.

_She's not a new trainer, then._

She sat down on the same couch, poking his Ditto into consciousness. He would've protested, but the shock of having an utter stranger play with your Pokémon can be mind-numbing.

Her mouth turned up at the sides as it woke, noticed her, and turned into a potato; almost as though she was trying not to laugh. She stood up, opening her mouth for the first time.

"That was amusing…"

And then she was gone. Curling up again, Ditto went back to sleep. Ash did the same.

* * *

A few minutes later Pidgeotto girl walked in. But she was alright, of course. She still had her Ultra ball.

**A/N: And so another chapter is up! In case you haven't realized, these updates are getting later and later each day… so the next time I submit it might be tomorrow! Err… I mean the tomorrow after the tomorrow. Yeah; that one.**


	7. Gym: Rubidium City

**Disclaimer: I do _not_ own Pokémon. As a matter of fact, Pokémon own me.**

**A/N: Yes I know the last chapter was entirely meaningless and all; it's a setting, see? I mean I've got to have a basic premise for the next chapter… so well this is it, I suppose.**

He awoke to the sound of silence. Nurse Joy was gone now, but he had a feeling that if he bothered to ring the bell once more, she'd appear in half a second.

_Now _that's_ scary…_

He gently woke Ditto. Two minutes later he woke Ditto again, _less_ gently. This time it worked. Looking towards the glass doors of the Pokémon Centre, he saw that it was raining. Turning, he noticed that the red girl with a Vulpix was sitting in the other couch, feeding her Vulpix some strange-looking brown pellets that everyone fed their Pokémon with nowadays. She herself was eating a Spoinkburger™. Realizing that Ash was looking at her, she felt a sudden urge to explain what she was doing there.

"Vulpy doesn't like the rain. She doesn't even like her _Pokéball_ getting wet. So I'm sorta stuck until the rain stops."

Ash shrugged. Looking into his backpack for the first time, he realized he had three umbrellas. Why he'd bothered packing three was something beyond his understanding. There was also a sleeping bag, a compass, a knife, a toothbrush, two Pokéballs, his PokéNav, a water bottle, half a stick of chewing gum, soap, shampoo, two towels, two changes of clothes (exactly the same as the ones he was wearing, of course), a torch, a rope and, just in case he needed one, a good book.

He sighed. He hadn't packed this; his parents had. Handing the girl one of the umbrellas, he randomly picked one of the other two and stuffed the last back in his bag.

"It'll be easier to use this."

_And it'll keep my backpack lighter, too._

Hefting on his heavy load, he trundled out of the PokéCentre, Ditto in tow.

* * *

After stopping off at the PokéMart (where Ash bought a few restorative items which no one needs to know about, yet) he made his way towards the Pokémon Gym, which was the centerpiece of Rubidium City. It wasn't difficult to make his way toward it; he could hardly miss it.

_I wonder what they do in there…? With a Gym so huge they could have a Wailord ranch._

He was grateful that the Pokémon Gym didn't have sliding doors; instead, it had one of those normal hinge doors. Taking a breath, he opened the door and stepped into the Gym. Immediately the door swung back and hit him in the back.

He opened the door and stepped _well_ into the Gym, this time. His eyes widened in disbelief at the sight.

It was a giant maze of staircases, all of different shapes and sizes. There was only a single set of staircases which led to the ground below. High above him, perched on a platform in the direct center of the Gym, was the Gym leader. It was obvious he was the Gym leader, since there was no way any other person could be standing at such a commanding position.

The staircases were haphazardly positioned; built along some of them were tiny platforms, which were either empty or holding dark figures: presumably trainers under the tutelage of the Gym leader. Columns rose high into the air in between the flights of staircases, making for quite an imposing scene.

The entire thing was constructed out of metal, gleaming under the intense glare of the stadium lights. Beyond the base of the first staircase everything else was far above ground; a fall could result in serious injury.

_I don't understand why these Gyms can't be nice and safe…_

Ditto didn't look too happy either as they started their climb up the first staircase. It was slow and torturous, especially on account of Ash's hefty backpack. By the time they'd climbed the first flight of stairs, Ash was already tired out. Sitting down to rest, he was distracted by the sound of battling.

Turning his head in the direction of the noise, he could see four figures, two of them Pokémon, the other two being their trainers. One of them was standing on the staircase, while the other was standing on a column in mid-air.

Edging closer to get a better look, he realized that it was the small boy from before. His Caterpie had evolved; it was now a Metapod.

The Metapod was attacking solely with String Shot; somehow it had attached itself to a column by using large amounts of silk. He watched as the battle progressed; the other trainer's Zubat was hard pressed to avoid the large quantities string which sprang from Metapod, all the while using Supersonic.

Not daring to progress through such a battlefield, he turned the other way, only to hear a loud groaning of metal behind him. Turning, he saw that the metal column that Metapod was attached to had crumpled; the metal had resonated with Supersonic in a very big way. He could feel the vibrations even where he stood.

* * *

Hurriedly he moved on, trying to clamber up as fast as he could, despite his backpack. Gradually the vibrations died down; the battle was way too far away for him to see the outcome. He stopped as he reached a fork; putting his backpack down to rest again, he noticed two figures, each standing on a platform to the side of either branch. Ditto noticed them too, and turned into a potato.

With no other choice, Ash randomly picked the left branch, dragging his backpack up the stairs. Ditto followed close behind. He hadn't moved more than four steps when the figure somersaulted off the platform and landed on the staircase in front of him, effectively blocking his way. Ash rolled his eyes.

_Gym trainers… over-dramatic, the lot of them._

The boy was perhaps a year older than him; at his belt hung two Pokéballs, and his eyes were a dark blue as he looked straight at Ash.

"You'll _never_ get through to Seryn unless you defeat me!"

Confused, Ash looked around.

"What's Seryn?"

The trainer opened his mouth, then shut it again, almost as though he didn't know what to say.

"Why are you here…?"

"Why else? To defeat the Gym leader."

Ash wondered if he sounded overconfident; but apparently the trainer didn't notice.

"… yeahh… that's Seryn. She's over there."

The trainer pointed towards the platform, still tiny in its distance from them.

"Oh. I see. Thanks."

Ash headed further up the staircase, following the path the trainer had indicated. The boy exchanged glances with Ditto, then looked back at Ash.

"Hey! We haven't battled yet!"

* * *

"_My_ one Pokémon to your two?"

Ash turned to Ditto, who nodded back at him. The trainer looked between the two of them, then selected a Pokéball from his belt and threw it.

"Go, Farfetch'd!"

He stumbled a bit over the pronunciation but otherwise it came out fine. Ash looked to Ditto. He knew he had to say something.

"Ditto, since you're my only Pokémon, I choose you!"

Ditto turned to look at Ash, who shrugged.

"I didn't know what else to say."

The Farfetch'd flew up and perched itself on a metal column. It stretched its wings before pulling a leek out of nowhere and putting it in its beak.

"Farfetch'd! Use Leer on the Ditto!"

Farfetch'd swooped down over Ditto, its eyes staring directly at it. Spooked, Ditto turned into a potato again.

"Ditto! Snap out of it and transform!"

The potato waddled out of range of the scary bird Pokémon and re-transformed into a

"_What?"_

Ash watched the bird Pokémon as it circled above their heads.

"I have no idea… just… transform! Hurry!"

Ditto transformed into Farfetch'd just in time to parry the Farfetch'd's attack.

**A/N: Anyone want to tell me how to spell that? Oh and let's assume Farfetch'd is male.**

Grabbing his leek in both its hands, Ditto-Farfetch'd wrenched it out of its grasp.

"_Now I have the leek and you don't."_

The Farfetch'd was about to snap a reply when his trainer called from below.

"Farfetch'd! Use Peck!"

"Ditto! Dodge and use Leer!"

Farfetch'd swooped down low, his beak aimed straight for Ditto. Ditto ducked just in time; it didn't know how to fly yet. Instead, Farfetch'd grabbed the leek, which was just as well. Caught off guard, Ditto stumbled and fell down a step, the shock turning it back into a normal Ditto.

The trainer somersaulted back atop his platform, calling out another command.

"Farfetch'd! Quick attack!"

Farfetch'd rushed straight down towards Ditto, leek thrust out in front of it.

"Ditto! Defense Curl! You know what to do!"

Ignoring the excessive exclamation marks, Ditto nodded.

Farfetch'd glowed white as it lashed out at Ditto; but the blow glanced off.

"What…?"

Ditto was now an Azumarill. It uncurled and attacked with a Bubblebeam, stunning the Farfetch'd.

"Focus Energy!"

Ditto glowed white, and reformed into Hitmontop. Silently it began to meditate. Farfetch'd rose, turning its gaze to Hitmontop.

"Farfetch'd! Use Leer and then Peck!"

The Farfetch'd rushed towards Hitmontop again; Flying-type against Fighting-type, it didn't seem like it would stand a chance.

"Ditto! Double-Edge!"

Farfetch'd's eyes widened in confusion as Azumarill's form appeared through a flash of bright light. The focused energy, together with the powerful blow, finished it off.

The trainer cursed as he recalled Farfetch'd. Reaching for his second Pokéball, he gritted his teeth.

"The battle's not over yet…!"

Ash sighed.

_When will they stop using these clichéd phrases…?_

**A/N: That's the end of another chapter! Hope you all enjoyed it! Now I really need to get some work done so if you'll excuse me… please review!**


	8. Gym: Rubidium Leader

**Disclaimer: I _really_ do not own Pokémon. Whatever the rest of the world says, the only things I own are my hands and this laptop. Which wasn't really mine to begin with; but it is now!**

**A/N: Yay four reviews for a single chapter! Now _that's_ a first. Anyways I'll only update if you review, so I've spent the last two days re-playing Crystal because it's fun. Oh and unfortunateduelist, it's not _exactly_ a flying-type gym… hope this chapter works for you, anyways!**

**Oh and about character additions… I wouldn't actually mind, but for the fact that I'd most probably write him/her OoC. **

**If no one minds I can add any new characters I guess… just tell me what the character's like… biodata would be incredibly helpful, all of it. Also where you'd like the character to appear and all. Just send me a message.**

**But I don't think I'll be having a posse or anything… would be a tad cliché.**

**Oh and thanks also due to VampireWizard for being the most regular reviewer for this fic! Woo…!**

Detaching the other Pokéball from his belt, he looked at Ash's Ditto. A little worn out, but you really couldn't tell; not with a Ditto.

"Come out then! Aipom, I choose you!"

A purple monkey erupted from the red immateria.

_An Aipom…?_

Ash's mind raced back to the previous battles he'd seen. They'd all involved flying-type Pokémon… but this?

"Fine… Ditto, attack with Bubblebeam!"

In a flash, Ditto was Azumarill, and released a stream of bubbles at the creature. Unable to fully dodge the spread, the Aipom took a hit, but instead of falling to the ground, its tail grabbed onto one of the metal columns, using it as a pivot to make an about-turn.

_What…?_

"Aipom! Now! Scratch attack!"

Using the centrifugal force, Aipom launched itself into Ditto-Azumarill with a crushing Scratch. There wasn't even enough time for it to use another attack. Ditto stumbled, off-balance, and de-transformed into its original form again. Immediately Aipom leapt back onto its platform.

As if struck by a sudden thought, Ash removed the PokéNav from his bag and checked it. Immediately the inbuilt PokéDex flickered on.

_About time you actually **thought** of consulting me… all you need to know about Aipom is its tail is extremely versatile, and can do just about anything your hand can do; possibly more._

"Yeah… I sorta figured that out… Ditto, use Agility and jump to the top of the column!"

Ditto nodded as it turned began to glow; in seconds it was a Hitmontop. As Ditto used agility, adrenalin rushed through its veins, bolstering its reaction speed and power. It now stood above the Aipom, who hung just a bit below it.

_Just what I need to…_

"Aipom! Use Slam now—"

The Aipom swung upwards with its tail, preparing to slam its full weight against Ditto-Hitmontop.

"Ditto! Counter!"

"What—"

The Hitmontop lashed out with a leg, jumping to a side even as it attacked the monkey.

"Darn it! Aipom, counter its counter!"

In the nick of time, Aipom grabbed hold of Hitmontop's leg with its tail, swinging it around in what seemed to be a Seismic Toss.

"De-transform, Ditto!"

The Aipom watched in surprise as its prisoner literally slid through its grasp. Thrown off balance, the Aipom struggled to find its footing on the narrow column.

"And now… the finishing blow. Do whatever, Ditto."

Ditto looked at him, confused for a second, then shrugged. In a flash it had knocked the Aipom off the column under a crushing Double-Edge attack. Unconsciousness was immediate.

"Darn it! Aipom, return!"

He looked at his Pokéball, then at Ash and his Ditto.

"Fine. The way to Seryn is, like I've already said, that way. Unless you've got something to say, I'm off to heal my Pokémon."

Nimbly he jumped off the platform and slid down the metal column. In seconds he was on the ground. With that, Ash had a sudden realization. Looking over the edge of the stair-rail, he shook his head in amazement, and a more than a little fear.

_How'm I going to get back down…?_

Hefting his heavy backpack, he stumbled up the stairs, this time making sure he _didn't_ look down.

* * *

As he finally scaled the final platform, he was panting nonstop. Figuring that it was Ditto who'd have to battle, he'd let it ride on his backpack, but that only further worsened his condition. The Gym leader watched him, a sorry mess, as he collapsed on the floor, his backpack falling to the ground beside him.

"Here. Have a shake."

Ash looked up to see the Gym leader offering him a MooMoo™ Milkshake, and looked around enough to realize that the entire platform was stocked with food. The leader read the thought in his eyes, and responded to his unasked question.

"I'm stuck up here twelve hours a day; what'd you expect?"

A buzzing from a machine in the corner interrupted her examination of him; she walked over to it and removed two Pokéballs.

"Good… they're fully recovered."

Her hair was green, and remarkably long; it hung to her hips. She could hardly have been more than two years older than him, and yet she was a Gym leader. She wore a pair of jeans and an OPL sweatshirt (I told you it was popular). She clipped the two Pokéballs on her belt and turned to face him.

"So, are we going to battle or not?"

The shape of her jaw reminded him of something; it was firm and yet had a certain softness about it. He'd seen that pattern somewhere before, but he was too tired to think.

"Just… give me a minute…"

She threw her hands up into the air and gave a sigh of mock frustration. Curious, she walked up to him and tried hefting his backpack. The weight unbalanced her and sent her crashing to the ground.

"My god; what kind of people would pack so much into one bag…?"

Ash gave a wry grin as he sat up against the railings of the platform.

"My parents…"

Shaking her head (quite an impressive sight, what with all the hair), she handed him a sandwich, which he finished in approximately half the time it took Ditto to transform. In case you were wondering, that's a remarkably short frame of time.

Other Pokémon had Max Revives. Ash and his Ditto had a sandwich.

"Ditto! Let's get this battle started!"

Ditto faced the Gym leader. Twice in a day and it was already getting tiring.

"_Here we go again, Dit…"

* * *

_

"Finally ready to battle, are we?"

The girl watched amusedly as the sandwich seemed to entirely revitalize him. Silently she detached one of the Pokéballs from her belt.

"Go on, Ditto!"

"Go, Ekans!"

The arena was fairly straightforward, a metal platform with a long column in its middle. Around them were plenty of platforms, of course, but neither Pokémon bothered straying so far. The rules were clear, but the preliminaries still had to be obeyed.

"Ash from Palladium, am I correct? Well, I, Seryn of Rubidium City, leader of the Rubidium Gym, accept your challenge!"

Two Pokémon and one trainer looked at her with something close to bemusement in their eyes. She sighed.

"Fine. Now that's over with, let's begin."

Ash shrugged; anticlimaxes happened way too often in his line to bother him. He decided to keep his eyes on the battle instead.

"Ditto, let's begin with a Focus Energy!"

The pink Hitmontop began to glow with a strange gold aura.

"Ekans! Break its focus with a Torment!"

The Ekans slithered around Ditto, hissing and taunting with weak physical attacks. Ditto struggled to remain composed, fighting the urge to counterattack.

_It won't be able to keep this up…_

"Break it off! Rapid spin!"

The unexpected attack sent Ekans flying, but it somehow managed to recover in time to slither to the top of the column. It curled itself about it, its neck arched in a vehement hiss.

"Good, Ekans. Now use Leer!"

In a flash, Ekans sent itself flying towards Ditto, using its body like a giant spring. Its stare pierced through Ditto's defenses, leaving it momentarily frozen as Ekans wrapped itself about it.

"Now… Bite!"

Ash stared as the Ekans began its counterattack. Its moves were fluid; the trainer had obviously used this combination on many occasions. Its fangs sank into Ditto, eliciting a squeal of pain.

"Ditto…! De-transform!"

Ditto began to shrink back into its pink form.

"Ekans! Let go now!"

Ekans uncoiled, releasing its fangs just in time; a second later and it would've had a mouthful of pink slime.

_That thing's fast…_

"Ditto! Agility, now!"

Ditto began to shine with a white light again. When the initial surge subsided, it opened its eyes to a world in slow motion. Ekans was slinking away from it, springing for the safety of the column…

"Now, Ditto! Quick attack!"

Its little body began to morph once again. First the general bodily shape, then the feathers… in a mere instant it was a Farfetch'd and in another it had the Ekans in its beak. Flinging the Ekans off the platform, it watched in slow motion as the Ekans turned itself around by hooking its tail around the railing.

"Ekans! Poison Sting!"

It watched as dozens of pointed needles came rushing towards him. Before Ash spoke, Ditto already knew what he wanted.

"Steel Wing! Go for it!"

Wrapping its wings in front of itself, Ditto's wings turned to metal. The stings disintegrated on impact, turning to dust on the ground.

"Leer, Ekans!"

_Not _that_ again… but this time I'm prepared._

"Ditto! Look away!"

Ditto obeyed, but not before using Foresight. Its four other senses quickly came to the fore as it identified the mark of the Ekans. It turned away before the effect of Leer affected it.

"Ekans! Use Bite before it turns around!"

Ash smiled. If he knew Ditto, they'd already had this first battle won.

"Ditto! When you're ready…"

Ditto nodded; an imperceptible shift in its features.

"_Now!"_

It de-transformed just in time to catch Ekans off guard. Crashing into Ditto, the Ekans was momentarily stunned.

"Good job, Ditto! Now finish it off… Wrap!"

Ekans was powerless to resist as Ditto enveloped Ekans with its pink body, then transformed itself into a replica of the Ekans. Only green. But it was an Ekans, anyway.

* * *

"And… that's a wrap," Seryn observed, "… but you haven't met the star of the show yet, have you…?"

Ash tensed. Bad pun aside, Seryn was a talented trainer; she might have been designated the weakest Gym leader in the region, but she was still a far better trainer than he was. She slipped a pair of dark glasses over her eyes.

"And now…"

Ash recognized the resemblance at once. The glasses had something to do with her strategy, he realized; but besides that, it also enhanced her profile…

"Have you ever seen a girl with purple hair, a little shorter than you…?"

Seryn laughed, and let her Pokéball hand drop to her waist.

"See her…?

"She's my younger sister."

**A/N: End of Chapter! **

**Of course, after this they're just going to battle anyways, but trivialities always amuse me. Next chapter: Battle against the Gym leader! Will Ash win? Or will he lose and force me to go into a long description of his training before coming back to beat Seryn?**

**Either way… I won't be updating tomorrow… going out and all; but hope you all review nonetheless!**


	9. Gym: Rubidium Badge

**Disclaimer: I love these disclaimers. It's always so refreshing to be able to put random stuff in. Oh, and of course, I do not own Pokémon. It gets a little tiring to keep typing that same line though. What about… Do I not own Pokémon? But then again, I don't.**

**And… thanks for the character submission; I'll try to use him in my next chapter or two, since I've gotta wrap up this battle first. Don't worry, I won't forget.**

**And hooray for new reviews! Sorry I couldn't update the last 4 days… my internet connection died on me, so I was only able to read those reviews last night (or this morning – 2 A.M, to be precise)… and as I'm writing this the connection's down again; but I'll put this up as soon as possible!**

**Enough ranting – since I'm without a muse I'll have to push myself back into the writing habit. Here you are, chapter 9 of Pokémon Go…**

"So…" Seryn mused, "are we going to get back to the battle or not?"

It had hardly been a few seconds since he'd asked the question, so Ash found the remark a little unfair. Nonetheless, he readied himself, looking over at the slightly-weary Ditto to check if it was still battle-fit.

"_When this is over… Dit… I demand we check into a hotel…"_

Seryn raised the Pokéball to her eye level again, before releasing it in a classic manoeuvre. Ash recognized it from the numerous Pokémon battles he'd seen on television. Most of the top trainers favoured that pose, although there were some others who were now trying variants…

_I never _did_ like posing._

"Go, Tangela!"

As she spoke, the red immateria exploded from her Pokéball, taking out a pillar and half the ceiling.

_No. Seriously…_

_Fine._

As she spoke, the red immateria exploded from her Pokéball, taking the form of a strange, white creature covered almost entirely in white vines. The exception was on its red boots, and also around its face, where there was, instead, blackness; the shadows cast by its vines hid its face, with the exception of its red eyes.

_Red eyes… white vines…_

"It's an albino Tangela?"

Seryn smiled a smile that was at once condescending and friendly.

"It's not… exactly. It's just a small pigmentation problem… it isn't afraid of light, on the contrary…"

Ash's brain could tell what was coming, but his mouth came too slow to react.

"Tangela, you know what to do! Flash!"

In a single movement, Tangela hoisted itself into the air with a dozen vines snaking off in different directions. Each vine tightened around a column or a rail, and it was on these that Tangela supported itself.

"Ditto! Don't –"

Too late, he regained his voice. The Tangela's eyes rolled back into its head as it released intense light in all directions; turning into a mini sun.

Seryn was protected by her dark glasses. Ash and Ditto were less lucky.

* * *

Cursing aloud, he struggled to see through the bright light which tore holes in his vision. His ears pulsing, he could just make out Seryn's next command.

"Now that they're blinded, Tangela use Leech Seed!"

Unable to see, he could only shout a warning to Ditto and hope it worked.

"Ditto! Agility and dodge to your… left!"

Shaking his head, he managed to clear his vision. Ditto had managed to dodge the Leech Seed attack, but it was still blinded; it had been almost directly under Tangela when it had used Flash. As he watched Tangela attacking Ditto and its position of relative safety, something in his mind clicked.

"Okay Ditto! Use Supersonic!"

_If you remember…_

Ditto jumped into the air, its outline blurring and reforming as it did. Seconds later it soared into the air on blue and purple wings, a Zubat. Screeching its supersonic waves, it transcended the need for eyes.

_Perfect to counter flash._

Tangela lashed at Zubat, clipping its wing, but it recovered well, sweeping to a side under the Tangela.

_Keep to its blind side…_

The one weakness of it being attached to the pillars was that it didn't have much room to manoeuvre. And unless it had eyes on the back of its head…

"Tangela! Use Wrap! Don't let it out of your sight!"

Tangela's whip-like vines snaked out and slapped themselves against Zubat, wrapping it around its body.

"Ditto! Leech Life!"

With a screech, Ditto-Zubat plunged its fangs into the vines of Tangela, draining its life-energy. Seryn looked across at Ash, who grinned back at her.

"Tangela… let go."

Releasing its grip on Zubat, it quickly retracted its vines before Zubat could leech on.

_Time for checkmate._

"Ditto… Supersonic, let's go!"

"_That… that's dangerous, Ditto…"_

_But… it'll work._

Ditto-Zubat wheeled around and soared above Tangela. The white Tangela could do nothing but watch as Ditto climbed out of its vision range. By the time it released its burst of sound, Tangela was in no position to negate it.

But it wasn't aimed at it.

As Zubat slowly heightened its frequency, the columns which Tangela had attached itself to began to shake, minutely at first, then increasingly violently. Seryn watched as Tangela's vines began to slip and come loose.

"Tangela! Let go of the columns now! Use Vine Whip on the ground to cushion the landing!"

Tangela quickly released all its vines before the columns fell and crashed against each other. The uproar was tremendous.

Landing on three vines, it gently lowered itself to its feet, with minimal impact. In the chaos and debris, Ditto was nowhere to be found.

"Tangela! Use..."

The next command died on her lips as Tangela collapsed to the ground. As it fell, a little figure of purple and blue detached itself from the white mass.

_Nice work, Ditto._

"You did great."

* * *

He patted Ditto on the head and left him to rest in his backpack. Seryn recalled her Tangela, and turned to him.

"Well… I must say your last attack was a surprise… I expect you learnt that from one of my trainees, then?"

Ash nodded. She smiled and removed a flat coin from her pocket.

"This… is the badge of Rubidium Gym… the Atmos Badge."

He weighed it in the palm of his hand; it felt heavy, despite its diminutive size. On one side there was engraved the standard Pokémon League symbol; a black Pokéball on a gold background. On the other side, there was a different design; a wavy line passing between two straight lines.

_The Atmos badge…_

"Come on, Ditto. Let's go give you a good rest. Thanks, Seryn…"

Seryn watched as he turned to leave.

"Wait…"

He turned, Ditto standing now.

"_I don't like this…"_

"If you don't mind… might you take my sister along with you?"

Ash did a double-take. It was so out-of-the-blue, he didn't even know how to react.

"Why…?"

He didn't want to encourage people to tag along on his journey, to tell the truth. If he was going to become a Pokémon Master, it was better to go it alone. Yet… there _was_ a certain element of excitement in traveling in a group.

Seryn removed the dark glasses from her eyes and sighed.

"If she was to remain with me… she'd never be able to get stronger. I'm forced by Pokémon League rules to remain only _this_ strong… and so if my sister was to stay, she'd never improve."

She didn't seem to be very happy that the Pokémon League had decreed such a thing in the first place. Ash wondered how it would be like never to be able to make your Pokémon stronger.

"I'm hoping… perhaps you'd be able to help her further her dreams of becoming a Pokémon Master in her own right. Seeing how clueless you are, I think she'd be able to help you too."

He didn't mind the putdown at the end; he was more interested in getting to the bottom of things.

"But… why me?"

Seryn looked him over a moment, and then put three fingers up.

"Three. Simple reasons, all of them.

"Firstly, you're the first one to actually mention her to me, so you must've met her before.

"Secondly, she's around your age, so she'd probably be more comfortable.

"And… thirdly, you're the only person I've ever seen crazy enough to challenge a Gym leader with only one Pokémon… and never visit any PokéCentre on the way, either."

Ash wasn't sure what to say. It was true, all of it. He hadn't even thought of catching another Pokémon.

"I… guess I'll catch another Pokémon soon…"

She tilted her head to a side, watching him oddly.

"Err… fine. You do that. I'll just call her and get her to meet you at the PokéCentre later."

He shrugged. Everything seemed to have been decided already. Hefting his backpack up, he muttered a hasty goodbye to Seryn and stumbled down the stairs. His first trip almost sent him over the railing.

"Oh! I forgot two more things, Ash!"

Painstakingly he re-climbed the stairs, hoping to avoid having a nervous breakdown before he reached the ground floor.

"Here's your Technical Machine. I know your Ditto can't learn it… but it's yours, nevertheless."

She handed him a compact disc, on which was written in pink marker

**Double Team... Yay!**

Now it was _his_ turn to give her a weird look.

"I thought it looked cute…"

"I was thinking along the lines of, 'why didn't you ever use it in battle?', but that was okay…"

"I don't _have_ to use the TMs they supply me, you know…"

Ash frowned a moment, then hefted the backpack up on his back again. He didn't envy the hike down.

"_She said she had two things to say…"_

Ditto nudged Ash until he realized.

"Oh, yeah. So… what's the second thing you forgot to tell me?"

Seryn looked confused a moment, then remembered.

"Oh… yes. Well… instead of taking the stairs, why not take the lift?"

Sheepishly, she pressed a button and an elevator door slid open. Ash fell over, and this time it wasn't because of the bag.

**A/N: Yay. Another chapter complete and I'm going to try to borrow my sister's laptop so I can post it up for all you nice people out there. Don't worry, R'N'Rer, I'll use your character. Just give me some time to wrap this part up and… lookie! I'm done!**


	10. Meetings: On the road to Fluoride!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. Also, in advance, I do not own any of the characters besides Ash, Erynn, Seryn, Professor Goldenrain, and… well there are actually quite a few that I plan to use. The OC submissions will definitely be used in some way or another… in fact I said I'd use Dave in this chapter, and so… enjoy.**

The elevator dinged once as it opened to the ground floor. He stepped out into a back room, which was empty but for a small rubbish bin and a doormat which read

_Please come again!_

Shrugging, he stepped out into the waning sunlight. He was standing in what looked to be the city square. A large water clock with a brass Pidgey atop it showed that it was already close to evening. Looking around, he could just spot the round dome of the PokéCentre a some distance away. Sighing resignedly, he turned to Ditto.

"Well, I don't have the money for a hotel room, so a Pokémon Centre will have to do."

Ditto made a small noise of dissatisfaction, climbing from atop Ash's backpack to his head and mussing his hair. Ash sighed and jingled the change in his pocket.

"Out in the wild you'd be living in a tree or something. You should be happy… and anyways we've got to go meet Seryn's sister there. It'll be okay; don't worry."

Ditto grumbled all the way to the PokéCentre. On the way, Ash went into the PokéMart and bought some rice balls and unidentifiable meats for them both. Ditto had a remarkably large appetite for something so small. Ash added some berries to his bag as well, just for a snack. Dittos, being omnivorous, could eat just about anything without much trouble.

_After all, they _can_ become any Pokémon at all… technically they'd have to adopt any feeding style as well._

Tossing a berry into his backpack, he stepped into the PokéCentre again. Nurse Joy was slightly more helpful this time, though her entrance was just as upsetting. As he took the keys from her hands, Ash made a mental note not to be holding anything the next time he rang that particular bell.

Leaving the backpack in the room, he plonked himself down on the loveseat outside, sharing dinner with Ditto. Ditto was by far the faster eater, since it was able to contort its mouth to any size, and instantly assimilate any food it ate into its body structure. Ash, on the other hand, was hampered by having a less efficient digestive system, and was only halfway through his meal when she arrived.

She was still wearing the same outfit he'd seen her in earlier; a black-and-slightly-purple ensemble. The only difference was the backpack she now had slung over her shoulders. Unsurprisingly, it was also black-and-purple. She didn't seem to know where to look, though it wasn't very obvious behind her dark glasses.

Sighing, she sat down on the seat next to them, resting her backpack on the ground. After leaving her Pokéballs with Nurse Joy, she watched them eat, with nothing better to do… or rather, watched Ditto sit around and Ash eat. He slowed as he realized she was watching.

"Are you Seryn's sister, then?"

She relaxed as she realized that it really _was_ him she was meant to meet.

"I prefer to be called Erynn, thanks very much…"

Ash swallowed the rest of his dinner, stuffing the rubbish into the plastic bag it came in.

"Well… it's nice to meet you, Erynn."

He threw the bag at the nearest rubbish bin, missing horribly. Ditto sighed and waddled over, dumping it in with a flourish. It returned to him and sat between the two of them. Silence reigned.

"So… how old are you?" her question, that.

"Fifteen…"

She moaned.

"I'm stuck with a boy who's almost no clue about anything at all, and is older than me. How unfair is that?"

"How old are _you_?"

"Fourteen… I'm not fifteen till September."

"All around the same age, then. And here's Ditto. I don't know _how_ old it is."

Ditto waved. She smiled and patted it on the head.

"Great… and my name's Ash, in case you don't know yet."

She shook her head.

"As a matter of fact, I didn't."

"Well now you do. Nice meeting you, Erynn."

He mentally slapped himself on the forehead. Repeating himself wasn't good. It always happened… he could _never_ hold a conversation with a girl his age, no matter who it was. He wasn't attracted to her or anything; it was just something he didn't know how to turn around.

**A/N: This sounds like an author-insert, so sue me.**

He sighed. Picking Ditto up, he turned to her again. She was staring into space with a slightly bemused expression on her face.

"Hey…"

She looked up at him, one brow raised in a questioning glance.

"What about _your_ Pokémon…? Don't they come out once in a while?"

Her gaze lingered on Ditto, before coming back up to his eyes.

"I wish… they aren't as tame as Ditto."

Standing, she walked over to Nurse Joy and requested for her Pokéballs back.

"By the way…"

She turned to Ash, her Pokéballs held in her hands.

"Why isn't Ditto in its Pokéball?"

Ditto hurriedly transformed into the green Pokéball again, clambering onto Ash's belt and attaching itself to it. She smiled in amusement, then poked the little sphere a few times.

"Not green. It's ugly."

Soon the ball settled on a very pale blue colour, which she seemed to approve.

_I never could get Ditto to do that…_

"Well yeah… that's because it got squashed when Ditto transformed into Gyarados."

Erynn's eyes widened.

"A Gyarados? You've met one…?"

Ash shrugged. The truth was far from spectacular. When he'd finished telling her about it, she seemed to appreciate his situation more.

"So that was your first Pokémon battle ever… interesting."

In a deft movement, she released the three Pokéballs. As expected, three Pokémon appeared. Somehow Ash didn't expect anything different. As the Pokémon were released, the Pokéballs somehow managed to bounce back into her hands. Her technique was pretty impressive.

"So… these are _my_ Pokémon…"

The Magikarp flopped about on the ground for a few seconds before she recalled it. Sighing, she clipped the ball back onto her belt.

"Well, Ditto, meet Griven and Abra."

Abra was, unsurprisingly, an Abra. Ditto walked up and nudged it, but it just kept on sleeping.

"Griven…"

The Growlithe was beautifully groomed; he took a step towards it only to have it back away. Erynn scratched its head as it retreated to her.

"I'm sorry… she's not exactly accustomed to strangers."

So _it_ was a _she_… he knew Ditto didn't have a gender, but he never wondered much about other Pokémon before.

"Fine… now that the introductions are over… let's get some sleep."

He walked towards the room, before turning to her, who watched uncertainly from the center of the room.

"You can always go home to sleep if you want… otherwise there are two double-bunks here. Ditto and I only need one of them."

She looked undecided. Obviously she'd somehow assumed they'd be setting off in the middle of the night. Ash rolled his eyes.

"You already said your goodbyes and brought your bag out here to the Pokémon Centre. If you go back now it'll be awkward, right?"

She nodded; then shook her head in resignation.

"Okay then… Griven, Abra, return."

The two Pokémon turned to red immateria and returned into their Pokéballs.

"I'll take the other bunk. Just… don't try anything, you got that?"

Ash rolled his eyes again.

"Fine…"

_This eye-rolling business is hard… how do those other fictional characters manage it?

* * *

_

Neither of them bothered changing or undressing before going to sleep. They just plonked themselves onto their beds.

"Hey, Ash… do you want to try a Pokémon battle tomorrow?"

Ditto groaned painfully. Ash sighed.

"Maybe when I've got a more obliging partner…"

Erynn stifled a laugh, turning it to a yawn.

"Fine by me… well, I guess this is good night, you two."

"Yeah… night, Ditto. Night, Erynn."

"_I wonder why trainers like to battle so much…?"

* * *

_

"For the final time, _wake up_!"

The sudden shout awakened him immediately. In fact, his head almost collided with hers.

"Uhn… what time is it, anyway…?"

He checked his PokéNav. Half past nine. Not surprising he woke so late, considering he'd been up at three the previous day. Rubbing his eyes, he got out of bed, and then turned to Ditto, who lay sleeping in her bunk. He turned to her, curious, and more than a little stung.

"Why?"

She smiled a little sheepishly. She was wearing a black, fluffy bathrobe. Everything seemed to be black or purple with her.

"Late last night, for some reason it curled up against my leg and went to sleep… so…"

Ash slapped his forehead. Ditto _never_ was that friendly with him…

"No, I mean… why does _it_ get to sleep while _I_ have to get up?"

She groaned, throwing a pillow at him.

"It's a Pokémon, you're a human, and you've got to get yourself washed and ready. So get to it."

She toweled her hair dry as she spoke, the room vaguely smelling of some lavender shampoo she used.

_This is why I don't like traveling partners…_

"Fine…"

He left for the showers, which were right across from the rooms. He was sure to take all the necessary with him. By the time he'd returned, she was strapping on her Pokémon belt.

"You know, I don't get all this rush…"

He threw a few things into his bag and hefted it onto his back.

"It's not like we're in any hurry…"

She picked up her backpack and slung it over her back.

"What _do_ you carry in that bag, anyway?"

It seemed remarkably light to him; too light, almost. She shrugged.

"It's not my fault your parents had to pack your bag for you…"

He scratched his head.

"I already had it all packed up… then they decided to add in a few extras…"

She let out a breath and attached the last Pokéball to her waist. Ash prodded Ditto awake, and in a few minutes, they were done.

_Time to start our Pokémon journey… for real._

_But first… there was breakfast.

* * *

_

She watched them attack their food voraciously, unsure of what to do. Slowly she took a bite, and chewed it.

In less than five minutes, Ash and Ditto were done eating. Erynn was only halfway through. She watched them watching her, a little embarrassed.

"It's how I _usually_ eat…"

The two of them sighed. Ditto transformed itself into a book, and Ash began reading.

_It has no legible words in it at all…_

"_Sure… blame the illiterate Ditto… Dit."_

He slapped himself on the forehead.

"Done eating, yet?"

She shot him a look which shut him up immediately.

"It's only been five seconds since you last asked."

The both of them sighed again; Ditto turned itself into a pool of slime, and Ash made patterns in it with his finger.

_This journey… is going to be _really_ long.

* * *

_

"Finally! I'm out of Rubidium at last!"

She laughed out loud as they begun walking through a forest that seemed to have been created to impede people on their way to Fluoride. Of course, there was a sign at its edge which read

_Rubidide Forest: An obstacle proudly brought to you by Immaterion Corp._

But it hardly meant a thing.

"Wait… do you hear that…?"

Ash turned; Erynn was lagging a ways behind, and she didn't seem to be in any hurry to catch up.

"What is it?"

"There's a voice… like someone calling for help."

"Hmm? You mean that loud screeching of 'somebody, please help me!'?"

She looked at him, not comprehending exactly.

"Yes… that one. You mean you heard it?"

He nodded once.

"Five minutes ago it began. And it hasn't stopped even once yet. That guy really must have quite a voice. Why? Does it mean anything?"

She would've slapped her forehead, but it wasn't something she did.

* * *

"Thank goodness! Someone's here at last…"

Ash looked at the boy, unimpressed. A Rattata jumped around the boy, which, in Ash's eyes, sort of justified the undignified position from which the boy hailed them.

He was hanging by the ankle from the top of a tree.

Erynn gasped and rushed to help him. Ash stood there, unsure of what to do.

"Why're you up there?"

The boy didn't seem to appreciate his questions, but he answered it anyway.

"My Espeon… used confusion to tie this rope around my ankle… she left me here about ten minutes ago."

"Griven! Use Ember on the rope!"

Ash groaned.

_Girls… impulsive, every one of them._

"Ditto, you know what to do."

Ditto spread itself like a blanket under the boy, which was just as well, or the fall would've suffered him nasty bruises on his face, and possible amnesia.

Erynn stared at the sight.

"Oops…"

The boy stood up and dusted himself off. Ditto squirmed uncomfortably. Then the boy got off Ditto and dusted himself off again.

"Espeon, you can come out now…"

A purple cat-fox thing leapt out from behind a bush, its eyes showing that it gained no end of pleasure from the delightful tormenting.

Ash removed his PokéNav from his pocket, flipping out the PokéDex.

_Espeon, a psychic Pokémon, incredibly rare. It is one of the evolved forms of Eevee, and evolves when a certain level of happiness with its trainer is reached. If this is a wild one, **catch it**! Otherwise, that lucky so—_

Ash shut the PokéDex down before it could finish its sentence. Remembering what the Espeon had done to the boy, he could hardly hide a grin.

_I see where it gets its happiness from…_

He turned and addressed the boy.

"Hey… you. What's your name?"

The boy stopped nudging Ditto, who was trying to rub the dirt on its body off.

"My name's Dave; and I'm going to be the one to catch all 600 Pokémon in the world!"

Erynn flipped open her PokéNav, confused.

"But it says here there are only –"

"Well they said there were only 150 Pokémon a few years ago, and then 250… and since then there've been more and more popping up… I figure by the time I catch them all, there'll be at least 600."

Ash was unimpressed.

"How many Pokémon have you got now?"

He looked down at his feet.

"Two. I've just got Espeon and Rattata over here… but I've only started a day! At this rate, I'll have 600 in under a year!"

Ash watched the Espeon as she groomed herself in the sunlight.

"How'd you get the Espeon, anyways?"

Dave shrugged.

"My uncle… he decided that he'd give me Espeon here for my fourteenth birthday."

Erynn clapped. Everyone stared.

"Someone younger than me!"

Ash shrugged.

"But his Pokémon are stronger than yours."

Erynn sobered down; Ash sighed. He knew it had to be tough living with a Gym leader designated as the worst in the league… she had no chance of getting better than her.

"Hey, Dave! Want to battle?"

Griven barked happily at the word 'battle', but Dave shook his head. Disappointed, Erynn recalled the Growlithe.

"I just want to get to Fluoride before Espeon kills me."

He groaned as Espeon turned its innocent gaze on him again. Hurriedly, he recalled his two Pokémon.

"Can't you just keep her in there?" Erynn asked.

Dave shook his head.

"She knows how to let herself out. Right now she's staying in there just to be obliging."

Ash sighed. This encounter had already taken too long, and there weren't going to be any Pokémon in this clearing, not when his cries for help had already echoed halfway across the forest.

"Since we're all going the same way… why don't you come along? Once we reach Fluoride City, we can just go our own ways."

Dave looked uncertain.

"I haven't fulfilled my daily quota of Pokémon…"

Ash and Erynn simultaneously slapped their foreheads.

"… but I guess it really doesn't matter. Fine, so long as you don't mind Espeon here…"

And with that, they set off into the Rubidide forest. Like Ash had thought;

The journey was going to be _really_ long…

And it'd only just begun.

**A/N: End of another chapter! My longest yet; what with the dialogue and all…**

**Well I hope you enjoyed it, and perhaps everyone might want to tell me what your character's goal in life is…? I have no idea about where they should be based, if they're going to follow Ash and Erynn or not, and all that. So… once again please review!**

**And I'm glad this is actually going okay.**


	11. New Friends and Other Matters

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon, or Dave, or RJ.**

**A/N: I'm afraid I won't be doing RJ in this chapter. When they get to the Fluoride Gym you'll see him, but not before then. Thanks for the clarifications though. If either of you think of any other details about your OCs feel free to tell me… but the sooner the better, before I get too used to my own concept of them. And other submissions will still be welcome, but too many obligatory characters might make me lose my stream of thought.**

They trudged their way through the dense forest, keeping to the beaten path which led the way to Fluoride. The trees on either side pressed in on them oppressively, like walls in a maze.

_And a really dark maze, too._

The canopy of leaves that hung overhead was dense; remarkably so. Ash and Dave were both on the lookout for Pokémon, but Ash more than Dave, what with him having only one Pokémon and all. There were rustling sounds all around them, signs of Pokémon life; but there was a difference between knowing where a Pokémon was and actually encountering it, and the Pokémon native to the environment kept well away from the path they'd chosen.

_That reminds me of a Pokémon theme song, really._

He wondered where the random thought had come from. Erynn was ahead of them now, moving silently through the forest. Occasionally she stopped to wait for them, but most of the time she was just a tiny figure in the distance.

Dave, on the other hand, was still trying to fulfil his daily quota. The two of them watched every shadow for the slightest sound, the slightest movement that would alert them to a passing Pokémon. Ditto was already out, as was Espeon. She had spent several minutes trying to tie vines around Dave, but to no avail. Now she just prowled along, on the lookout for any other Pokémon. Ditto, on the other hand, just waddled onward because it felt like it; it wasn't really looking out at all.

Thus it wasn't surprising when a small red _something_ bowled it over by complete accident. Excited by the encounter, Ash pulled out his PokéNav.

_Hoppip, the Cottonweed Pokémon. Whatever. It's a Hoppip, and its only attack as of now is **Splash**. Should be an easy capture._

This time, the PokéDex turned itself off. Ash sighed and shut the PokéNav, slotting it into his pocket.

"Fine. Ditto, use Wrap."

This time, Ditto didn't even bother turning itself into Tangela. Two vines snaked out from Ditto's pink body, wrapping themselves around Hoppip. The Hoppip just squealed. Not in pain, though. It was actually feeling ticklish. Ditto raised the Hoppip into the air; it seemed to be enjoying this.

Ash and Dave watched the sorry excuse for a Pokémon battle for a while. When Dave couldn't bear the wait anymore, he turned to Ash.

"I think you can try capturing it now."

Ash snapped out of his trance, then dropped his backpack to the ground. After a while more of searching, he finally found the Pokéball.

_So that's where it got to…_

He turned to the Hoppip again. Somehow the game had tired it out and it'd gone to sleep. Ditto stood to a side, unsure of what to do.

"Just a baby, after all… fine; Pokéball go!"

He made to throw the Pokéball at Hoppip, then thought better of it. He walked up to Hoppip and pressed it against the button set into the red-and-white sphere. In a flash of red light, Hoppip was captured. There wasn't even a struggle.

_Somehow… I don't think Hoppip will be a very good battler…_

Dave's look echoed his thought. The two of them walked on; four, if you count their Pokémon.

* * *

_And where's Erynn gotten to…?_

Before long, Espeon's fur bristled. They still hadn't found Erynn, who was probably waiting for them further up. It was just like her to run off and all. Dave looked at Espeon, then stopped.

"Behind me…?"

With trepidation he turned and looked behind him, fully expecting a faceful of tree or something. He trusted Espeon, but he wouldn't put it beyond her. Instead, he found himself face-to-face with a floating Weedle. Already its strength was being sapped by the power of Espeon's Confusion attack. His throat was dry as he noticed a Beedrill's nest in the trees beyond.

Trees, because it was a really big nest.

Cautiously, he removed a Pokéball from his belt and tapped it lightly against the Weedle. It disappeared in a flash of red light, and entered the Pokéball. Just in case it broke free, Dave pressed the two halves of the Pokéball together using his hands. There was a small struggle, and then… nothing.

He turned back to Espeon, looking to thank it, but was met with a faceful of tree. After Espeon had finished laughing, the four of them crept away from the nest. Erynn was still nowhere in sight.

* * *

"You know… this forest isn't terribly exciting."

Dave sighed as the three trainers sat down on some conveniently placed rocks. Erynn shot him a look.

"You're telling me. I spent so much time waiting for you guys and all the time you were off catching Pokémon."

Ash put his hands up as though to ward off an attack; seeing that he was in relative safety, he put his hands down long enough for Oddish to send a Stun Spore his way. Luckily, it wasn't strong enough to do any damage.

"You managed to catch that Oddish, didn't you…"

She sighed. Everyone was getting bored of this huge obstacle. There really wasn't anything but walking through it. Erynn turned to Ash and considered battling him. His Hoppip could do nothing but splash and Ditto… was more of a lover than a fighter. Dave on the other hand, wasn't going to want to battle before they reached Fluoride.

The boy in question was looking among the trees, trying to find his second catch for the day. Ash and Ditto were nudging Hoppip, trying to wake it up. She stood up and dusted herself off. Recalling her Oddish, she turned to them again.

"There isn't much point in staying here, so let's move on now."

Dave looked up from where he sat, and Ash just sighed and recalled Hoppip. It was true. The few trainers they'd met along the way didn't even want to battle them. The forest was like an obstacle where all trainers had some temporary truce.

Packing up, the three of them were almost ready to set off when a girl dressed completely in red ran up to them. It was Vulpix-girl again.

"Hey! You, whatsyourname! Boy from Palladium!"

Dave and Ash turned their heads at the shout, but as Dave didn't recognize the girl, he just stepped back.

"Thanks for letting me borrow your umbrella… here; you can have it back."

Ash had no idea what to say.

"I don't need that umbrella… I've got two more in my backpack."

"But…"

"Look, I don't want my backpack any heavier than it already is, so it'd really be a big favour if you could just keep it. Thanks."

The girl looked at the umbrella with a bit of hesitation, then smiled.

"Alright then. Oh and… have you beaten Seryn, the Gym leader of Rubidium? If you have… can we battle?"

Ash was about to reply a negative when Erynn stepped forward.

"Ash's Pokémon aren't exactly in the mood for battling, but I'm ready!"

The girl considered her for a moment, recognition showing on her face.

"Hey… aren't you…"

"I'm a girl who's going to be the next Pokémon Master. And I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!"

Ash gave Erynn a blank stare. Dave backed away slowly. Erynn shrugged helplessly and went on with the act. Resolutely, the girl removed a Pokéball from her belt. Erynn did the same.

Just then, Pidgeotto-girl caught up. Ash wondered where all the trainers were coming from… but only for a second.

"Hey, Taera… you didn't have to run so fast… eh? What's going on?"

The red girl, now known as Taera, filled the Pidgeotto-girl in. After a quick discussion (it took around six seconds) they came to a decision.

"We challenge you to a double battle!"

Erynn looked at Ash and Dave helplessly. Ash shrugged and took a step back. When Dave realized what that meant, he couldn't help but sigh. Taking his place beside Erynn, they got ready to battle.

* * *

Just for effect, Ash stood between the two parties.

"I have no idea what to say but I guess I'm going to have to be the judge so Ditto transform into a flag and let's let them start!"

Ash waved the Ditto-flag down to signal the beginning of the battle. Then he paused for breath and went to lie down.

"Come on, Griven!"

"Espeon, don't fail me now!"

"Come out, Vulpy!"

"Fly for me, Fia!"

The four Pokémon exploded out of their Pokéballs. Espeon and Growlithe on one side, Vulpix and Pidgeotto on the other.

Ash, Ditto and Hoppip watched the battle from a side.

_This is going to be interesting…_

**A/N: Yay it's a double battle! I've not much of an idea what's going to happen but we'll all see next chapter! And hopefully you all enjoyed it… I think I'm reverting to my shorter chapters; longer chapters mean more work for me so… hooray for laziness!**

**Oh and I'm going on vacation in two days so I mightn't write tomorrow… but we'll see it when it comes.**


	12. Double Battle Madness

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. Neither do you. If you do please ignore the last sentence and do not sue me. Hooray. But I _do_ own my OCs. Which do not include Dave. Or RJ.**

**R'N'Rer, I sent you a message regarding that… yeah, 'cos you wrote it as Hunter in the profile you sent me, and since I didn't understand what a Hunter was, I didn't put it in. If you want, you can catch one later on, but ghosts don't appear for a bit… so maybe something else…?**

**And if you're wondering where I've been, I've just returned from an 8-day trip to China… it was great fun there but it's good to be back. Sorry for the lack of updates while I was away… at any rate, here's the next chapter of Pokémon Go! Last chapter, the Double Battle had just started…**

The four trainers stood, two on each side. You could almost see the tumbleweeds tumble across the short stretch of clearing between their four Pokémon. Griven pawed at the ground, impatient to begin, while the Espeon just yawned and gazed intently at her two adversaries. Fia the Pidgeotto was perched on a rock, while the Vulpix seemed just as intent as the Growlithe. The tension built like the ascent on a rollercoaster ride; at any moment…

Four trainers simultaneously called out their commands.

"Let's go, Griven! Ember on the Pidgeotto!"

"Go on and use Confuse Ray on Growlithe, Vulpy!"

"Espeon! Use Confusion on that Pidgeotto!"

"Fia, blow the Espeon away with Gust!"

The Pokémon responded almost immediately, turning the battle into an immensely confusing display.

Leaping into the air, Griven let loose a fiery blaze from its mouth, only to be sent straight into the strong gust of wind that Fia had worked up. The flames sparked, catching it on a wing, but sending most of the flames toward Griven and especially Espeon, who had just enough time to send Pidgeotto crashing into a tree before being torched herself.

Vulpy's Confuse Ray attack sent a beam of dark anti-light crashing into Fia, who'd managed to get itself between Griven and her. After all, Griven _had_ leapt into the air.

None of the Pokémon were out, but they were all hurt one way or the other, with the exception of Vulpy. Taera jumped in excitement until her partner shot her a withering glare. Then she thought perhaps it'd have been better if she just hadn't attacked.

Dave and Erynn glanced at Ash, who still lay under the shade of a tree. It wasn't hard to see that he was laughing. He didn't make much of an attempt to hide it.

"Like you'd do much better yourself…" Erynn's growl was directed pointedly at him, but it didn't stopper his mirth in the least.

"In case you've forgotten, using Ditto requires me to synchronize the moves of more than _just_ two Pokémon. If you can't even organize your attacks to work in tandem with each other, how can you ever expect to win?"

Ash went back to playing with Hoppip and Ditto. The four trainers stood there, before realizing the battle wasn't over yet. The confusion had worn off Fia by now, and the other two Pokémon had shaken off the light damage.

Dave looked at the rest of them. He wasn't looking very sure.

"You think maybe we should spend some time discussing our strategies before coming back to battle one another?"

The Pidgeotto-girl shook her head.

"I don't think Pokémon battles are meant to work like that. Let's just start this thing over."

The rest of them shrugged helplessly.

"Fine by me…"

"I guess there isn't anything else to do anyway…"

"Come on, Vulpy, let's do this!"

The four trainers stood up to the plate once more. This time they were all determined to work as a team… or at least, they hoped. Ash tried to look serious. Ditto continued doing whatever it was Dittos did. Hoppip swayed gently in the breeze.

* * *

"Espeon, use Sand Attack!"

Espeon swung itself to a side, kicking sand directly at the two Pokémon.

"Fia! Gust it away!"

The Pidgeotto responded in a flurry of feathers.

"Now, Bite it, Griven!"

Espeon cut away its Sand Attack as Griven rushed at Fia from a side, sending the two of them crashing to the ground.

"Vulpy, help Fia with a Quick Attack followed by a Disable!"

The diminutive Vulpix rushed into the large Growlithe, knocking it off the bird Pokémon. Before it could recover, the Vulpix had turned its large eyes on it; as her pupils shrank to narrow slits, Griven grew steadily jaded…

"Espeon! Knock the Vulpix out of it with Confusion!"

"Fia; stop it with a Tackle attack!"

The Espeon concentrated its gaze on the Vulpix, even as the Pidgeotto flew at it from above. Its wings cut the air in a streak of white and brown; the soft whistling sound as of an arrow racing towards its objective.

"Griven; use Ember!"

Sluggishly, the Growlithe responded with a stream of fire directed at the Pidgeotto. Screeching, it pulled away from the heat before it could score a direct hit, but only manage to deal Espeon a glancing blow. The Vulpix, thrown off balance by the psychic attack, tripped and fell to the ground, rolling and recovering to face the two Pokémon.

Taera turned to the Pidgeotto-girl, and the two of them seemed to be discussing something. Uneasily, Erynn turned to Dave; they had no choice but to strike first.

"Espeon, take them on with a Swift!"

"Griven; use Roar to disorientate them!"

The two trainers simultaneously called out their orders. Espeon released a stream of stars, hitting the Pokémon for light damage. The trainers seemed to have reached a consensus; Griven's roar only distracted the Pokémon a little.

"Now Quick Attack!"

Espeon moved like the wind; now it was only a white blur. It rushed full at the Vulpix, ready to take it down.

"Fia! Use Whirlwind!"

Unexpectedly, a strong gust of wind issued from Pidgeotto, sending the lavender cat flying backward. Pidgeotto-girl looked on approvingly and nodded to the girl Taera.

"Now, Vulpy! Use Ember!"

The Vulpix slipped directly under the Pidgeotto, sending a stream of flame through the center of the Whirlwind. Like a bullet through a barrel, it shot straight at Espeon, the heat fanned by the intense wind around it. Erynn cursed.

"Growlithe! Use Take Down on Espeon!"

The large fire dog slammed its weight against the cat Pokémon, freeing it from the grasp of the Whirlwind. Just in time, too; the flame attack rushed through and relentlessly punished Griven, but its fire disposition protected it, mostly, anyway.

"Espeon, you alright?"

Dave looked on as Espeon casually shrugged. Even if it were hurt, it wouldn't easily admit it, that much he knew.

Erynn turned her attention back to the two Pokémon who had initiated the attack.

"Now, Griven! It's time to use Ember!"

The Growlithe shook off the fire attack; it had endured, and would only come through stronger.

"Flash Fire!"

It released a blast of fire startling in its intensity. Somehow it had absorbed the energy of the original attack and had sent it back their way.

"Fia, dodge it with Quick Attack!"

"Vulpy; use Quick Attack to get around it!"

The two Pokémon sped off in different directions; Erynn turned to Dave, looking pointedly at Espeon. He nodded.

"Espeon; use Confusion… but on the fire!"

Immediately Espeon jumped lightly behind Griven, focusing its mind energy on the stream of flames which poured from the fiery dog-like Pokémon. The red jewel on its head flashed; an instant in a moment of chaos.

Instantly the flames began to spread; Espeon's psychic power allowed it to control the fire, manipulate it to her own direction. If it were to be disturbed at all, the power would be shattered, that much was certain, but it didn't look like the two Pokémon were going to get anywhere near.

The flames whipped about, bringing the Pidgeotto crashing to the ground.

"Fia…!"

The Pidgeotto-girl couldn't restrain her cry of surprise; the attack was far too quick for her to comprehend. Taera still had her eyes set on the battle.

"Vulpy! Use –"

There wasn't time. Seconds after, the Vulpix was hit as well. It hardly had time to stand before Growlithe brought it down with a flying Take Down.

* * *

The two girls grudgingly recalled their Pokémon. Erynn brought a gloved hand across her forehead, wiping away a trickle of sweat.

"For a moment I thought you weren't going to get it…"

Griven sank to the ground, sooty and exhausted. Erynn recalled it with a flick of her wrist, then stared at the Pokéball for a long time.

"Thanks, partner."

Dave pet Espeon on the head and turned to her.

"Yeah, your Growlithe was pretty strong back there."

Erynn raised an eyebrow. Reaching into her breast pocket, she removed a set of sunglasses and put them on.

"I was talking to you as much as Griven. And Espeon as well, of course."

She walked up to Espeon, who rubbed herself against her leg ingratiatingly. She laughed and scratched its head as Dave looked on.

"Hey… Espeon, you never _are_ that nice to me…"

Espeon shrugged again, a slight bending of the shoulder. Then it loped gently off to find something else to do. It never really _did_ obey.

Taera and Pidgeotto-girl walked up to the two of them.

"Fior and I would just like to say that it was pretty nice battling with you, and that we could've won," Taera said a little too bluntly, "oh, and here's the money we owe you."

The Pidgeotto-girl, Fior, shrugged helplessly as the two of them walked off. Ash rose from the tree and walked over as the two of them kept the cash.

"Well, I'm glad that's over. Our exiting this forest is long overdue. Once we're all done staring at the ground, perhaps we might get ready to go?"

The two of them nodded fairly enthusiastically. After all, the forest wasn't terribly exciting.

"Oh… and nice battle, the two of you. You managed to pull together some sort of combo after all."

Erynn rolled her eyes. She was more than a little resentful.

"You're speaking as though you're far older than either of us… you're not in any way better than we are, you know."

Ash shrugged. It wasn't in his line to speak tactfully; of course, he knew how to, but usually found it quite a hassle.

"One of these days we should just sit down and discuss some double-battle strategies is all I'm saying… but for now, we've got to get to Fluoride…

"And so long as I'm stuck with you, just know that I'll never be deliberately rude or… anything."

Espeon slipped out of the bushes ahead of them. With a paw it pointed the way out of the forest; there wasn't much further to go. Happy for the distraction, Dave walked up to Espeon and looked back at the two of them.

Ash shrugged again and trudged on. Erynn shook her head, her face thoughtful. Running forward, she caught up with him, but that was it.

* * *

A few minutes later, they passed another large sign.

_Thank you for visiting Rubidide Forest. We at Immaterion Corp hope to obstruct you again!

* * *

_

Ash watched the silhouette of Fluoride City with trepidation, and a sense of growing excitement. A glance to his left and right showed his companions' feelings mirrored his own. In the sepia sunset, the city seemed like something out of a picture postcard; roads led out of it in all directions, now they were heading up its southern road.

_Fluoride City… home of the Synchro Badge… and the League's first Double Battle gym._

Ditto waddled up onto his head again.

"_And a PokéCentre, I hope…"_

**A/N: So… after Ash's first badge, the Atmos, here's the second gym, and it's going to be interesting. This is the first time I've tried doing a Double Battle sequence, and the Pokémon combinations could've been more ideal. But at least I didn't repeat any move combinations… so I'm happy, and I hope you are too. **

**This chapter is a bit more than serious, so I hope you all don't mind. Gonna take some time to get back into it since coming back, and everything's a little rushed with the holidays coming to an end here. The next chapter might take more than a day to write, but rest assured, RJ _will_ be in it.**


	13. Saturday in Fluoride

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. And school starts tomorrow. Again. Hooray. **

**So… in this chapter, RJ should make an appearance. If I have the time to finish writing this today, anyway. Hopefully you'll all enjoy this next chapter of Pokémon Go!**

They stepped into Fluoride City with more than a little wonder in their expressions; the three of them had never seen any other city than Rubidium, but while Rubidium was large and, in a way, nice-looking, Fluoride was built on an entirely different scale. Where Rubidium was large, this place was enormous; shops flourished on every corner even in the waning sunlight.

As the meeting point of the Great North Road and the trails toward Mount Lead in the east and Lake Baria in the northwest, Fluoride was bustling with signs of trade and commerce; trainers all _had_ to pass through this town some way or another, although major influxes of tourists during the holiday season were far from uncommon.

The buildings here ranged from high-rise apartments to large, sprawling complexes. All steel-glass, all sleek and really shiny; Ditto was examining its reflection in one of the black-tinted windows. In a way, it seemed like Rubidium City, only more.

Caught up in looking at the architecture around them; the activity which only seemed to heighten in intensity the later it got, the three of them only realized they were standing on a road when a twenty-seven vehicle pileup magically appeared behind them.

_I think I would've noticed that…_

Fine. When a car almost crashed into a building in an attempt to avoid them.

"Get off the roads!"

Hurriedly, they stepped to a side and allowed the car to pass. The roads here seemed almost unnoticeable amidst the landscape of asphalt, concrete, and glass. In a few seconds three more cars passed them by.

While cars weren't exactly uncommon in the region, hardly anyone could afford one since the government organization known as the Organization (the same one that had initiated the Pokémon League in the Elem region) had raised the cost of practically everything related to owning a car.

After all, they _were_ trying to promote a cleaner and safer environment. There were apparently plans to build a magnet train like the one in the Johto-Kanto region; plans which were nowhere near fruition.

* * *

The PokéCentre here was a sleek, shiny, all-black affair. The Pokéball dome that constituted its roof was also entirely black, and the sliding door was tinted black. Ash stopped at the door and motioned for the other two to enter first.

"What's with him?" Dave whispered.

Ditto quietly made all sorts of strange motions in an attempt to explain. Ash looked at the three of them talking, more than a trifle suspicious.

"He's got an irrational fear of sliding doors now," Erynn translated, "ever since he first began randomly crashing into them. But don't tell him he said that."

The interior seemed to have been designed with a minimalist's view. The room was almost entirely empty but for two really long and flat sofas, a small table made of black marble, and a PC situated in a corner of the room. Lamps hung from the ceiling; the light seemed stark in contrast with the black walls and black marble floor.

When Dave rang the bell for service, another nurse popped up as quickly as before, forcing Ditto into potato-mode. This time, though, the nurse was dressed in a sleek black leather suit; everything in this town seemed to be sleek and black. The counter was made of black marble as well, and was cool to the touch. The nurse also had a badge pinned to her chest.

_Nurse Joy_

"Have I seen you somewhere before?" Ash interjected, "because you look very familiar."

Nurse Joy shook her head.

"No, first time today. And what can I do for you?"

In a few minutes they had set their packs away in their rooms and were standing in front of the Fluoride Gym.

**Fluoride Gym – Synchro Badge **

**Gym Leaders: Lyam and Leya **

**Opening Hours: ** **9 AM to 5PM**

**Closed on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays. **

**Trainers _must_ have a Double ** **Battle**** partner to participate.**

They looked at the sign askance.

"But it's Friday today! We can't battle till Monday…"

Erynn tapped Ash on the shoulder.

"I think there's a more pressing problem than that. You haven't got a Double Battle partner, remember...?"

Dave nodded a tad sheepishly; he was sort of just tagging along and all, but…

"Erynn and I've already battled together once before, so we can do it again, but you…"

Ash turned to Ditto, who shook its head.

_"No way I'm transforming into a human, Dit…"_

He sighed.

"Fine… I still have two days to find a Double Battle partner, anyways. Let's go back to the Pokémon Centre and decide what we're going to do tomorrow…"

* * *

They sat in the room, quietly chewing on their dinner. Ash chewed for a bit, before removing a small, multicolored piece of eggshell from his mouth.

"These omelettes…"

Erynn sat on the upper bunk of her bed, across from Ash's, a salad on her lap.

"So… what about tomorrow?"

Dave munched on a bucket of fried Pidgey, sitting on the lower bunk under Ash. I mean, he munched on the fried Pidgey in the bucket. Not the bucket.

"Well I really want to go see Mount Lead… I've heard there're some really cool Pokémon there."

Ash took a sip from a glass of MooMoo Milk. He really did like the stuff. Then he looked back at the crumpled-up map of the Elem region and fingered the area they were in.

"Well we can either do that or go look around the town… of course, there's always Lake Baria you might want to visit… or you could go down to the beach."

The beach spanned along the south-eastern area of Fluoride; the south-western side was occupied by a large port. Along the beach a gauntlet had emerged, on which was perched Mount Lead. Apparently the mountain had a subterranean passage deep under it which actually led under the ocean, but it didn't actually lead anywhere, so the Organization had fenced it off to visitors.

Erynn put her salad aside and removed a small handbook from her bag.

"It says here that Fluoride is an excellent place for shopping… Lake Baria is a natural habitat for many varieties of Grass and Water Pokémon unique to Elem, while Mount Lead contains mainly Fire and Ground types… it all depends, I guess."

While most Pokémon flourished in most, if not all of the regions, there were certain unique Pokémon, native to a particular region. These Pokémon were often uncommon, due to their inability to adapt to different climates; this explained their scarcity in other regions.

It was much the same in Elem; when foreign Pokémon had first been introduced here, the pure environment had allowed them to flourish and grow far more rapidly than the native Pokémon.

Ash sighed and tossed the plastic container into the bin from his seat on the upper bunk. It missed and hit the wall, landing on the floor. Dave shook his head and dumped it in for him, dumping his empty bucket at the same time. Ditto had eaten its own food container, so there wasn't any trouble there.

"So… what do you guys want to do?" Ash spoke here.

" Mount Lead for me. I haven't caught any fire or ground-type Pokémon yet."

"I think I'm going to stay here in the city… I need to get kitted out… and…"

"… all girls love to shop." Ash spoke again. Ditto shook its head in the background.

_"He hasn't got a clue…what he's getting into…"_

Erynn chucked the salad container at him. Her aim was true.

* * *

Ash sank into a plush armchair which lay conveniently in reach, gratefully setting down the mass of shopping bags on the floor.

_How can there be so many black-and-purple clothing designs…?_

"Hey, Erynn… you _do_ know you're going to have to carry these around in your backpack?"

She shrugged, busy looking at herself in a set of black leather. Her third try here. Frowning, she walked back into the fitting room and emerged, shortly after, in her original outfit once more.

"Not here… let's go visit the one a few streets back…"

"What…! But this is the first one with conveniently placed armchairs!"

She made a happy humming noise and nodded.

"Let's go then…"

Ash dragged the bags along the ground miserably.

"Oh, and…"

She turned around abruptly; if Ash hadn't been moving so slowly, he'd have crashed into her.

"I'm not going to be carrying these… you will."

* * *

Dave stood at the entrance to Mount Lead. A few other trainers were standing close beside him; a tall boy leaned against the side of the cave and spoke to what appeared to be two of his friends. One of them he recognized; it was Fior, the Pidgeotto-girl. He wondered where Taera had gotten to.

"So three of us are here… Fior, where's Taera?"

The girl looked sheepish.

"She got freaked out by Terry's Butterfree and locked herself into the toilet. I couldn't get her out."

The short boy, Terry, protested his innocence; the tall boy slapped his forehead.

"We can't get in without the light from Taera's Vulpix…"

So they were a group making final preparations. He turned to Espeon and nodded. She tossed her head disdainfully, and then settled down.

Gradually the red jewel on her head began to emit a white light, allowing the two of them to see in the dark as they trudged cautiously into the cave. A warm wind blew in the cave; the walls were damp, but not cold.

Espeon walked ahead of her owner, leading the way. Quietly, Dave released Rattata as well.

_You can never be too careful…_

Gradually the light faded from the entrance behind him. A few turns later, he was in total darkness, but for the light shining from atop Espeon's forehead. Warily, he looked out for wild Pokémon… Rattata's fur was bristling, but he didn't see any obvious danger...

_Wham_

He was knocked to a side by a swift shadow. Rattata landed on top of him, only to be knocked off in a second attack. Espeon turned and hissed a late warning, then returned to her owner's side.

"What was that…?"

In the dim light he could barely make out a darker patch against the light stone wall. He couldn't be sure but…

"Rattata! Quick Attack!" He pointed in the general direction.

Immediately Rattata sprung and slammed itself into the wall. Just before it struck, however, the dark patch took shape again; the mystery assailant flew off the wall and melted into the ground, leaving Rattata to slam its head against the hard stone wall.

"Espeon… see if you can track the creature!"

Espeon nodded, the light from its jewel glowing brighter as it concentrated. The cave was silent, but for the sounds of Dave's heavy breathing.

All of a sudden, the creature emerged in an eruption of earth and stone. Tensing, Dave covered his face with an arm; then slowly lowered it.

It was caught in the power of Espeon's psychic embrace. The creature looked like the head of an enormous snake, only entirely made out of soil; its eyes glowed white in the darkness. Flipping his PokéNav open, he activated the PokéDex program and pointed the sensor at the strange creature.

_Mudross, the Earth Shaker Pokémon. This Pokémon has a body composed almost entirely of earth, and is thus able to melt into rocks and soil, becoming virtually undetectable. If this Pokémon comes into contact with a substantial amount of water, however, it hardens and dies. This Pokémon is native to the Elem region._

**A/N: It's pronounced Mewdres… like… New with an M and Us with a 'Dr' in front. **

Nodding, he closed the PokéDex. Detaching a Pokéball from his belt, he got ready to capture it.

"Rattata! Use Quick Attack on it while it's caught in Espeon's attack!"

Rattata rushed at the creature again, this time scoring a direct hit. Under the flurry of blows from Rattata, the creature gradually weakened; the white glow in its eyes began to dim.

"Espeon! Use Confusion one more time!"

The jewel on its head grew brighter, beginning to pulse. Dave could almost see the psychic energy in its intensity.

_Now…_

"Pokéball, go!"

The weakened Pokémon entered the Pokéball easily. It struggled once, twice, and then stopped. Satisfied, he bent over and picked the Pokéball up from the ground. He stared at it for a few seconds, then clipped it on his belt, recalling Rattata as well.

Turning to Espeon, he nodded. The two of them set off again.

* * *

She flitted in and out of the shops like a Beautifly; he didn't know where she got her money, but she seemed to be inexorable. As the day wore on, he began to count the minutes by the number of packages he held.

_It's quite cute, though… that under her cool exterior she really _is_ just a girl…_

Erynn turned to look at him strangely.

"What're you smiling at…?"

Now she had on a purple tube top under a black biker's jacket with matching pants.

_Black and purple must be really popular colours or something…_

He shrugged.

"Are you going to buy that…?"

She raised an eyebrow.

"What… it doesn't look nice?"

Ash shrugged. Ditto tapped him twice on the head.

"Err… yes… it looks very nice… I guess…"

She turned to the shopkeeper.

"Fine; I'll take this as well."

Ash would've slapped his forehead, but he was holding too many bags to do any such thing.

* * *

The boy looked unassuming, but for his black, spiked hair; he was built along the lines of a soccer player or some sort of athlete. He wore a soccer shirt and shorts, like almost every other youngster in the neighborhood, and at his waist hung three Pokéballs.

But there was an air of confidence around him. Without being overly egotistical, he seemed capable of taking on the world and coming out smiling. A Pokémon stood beside him, a grey-green humanoid, muscular despite its small stature.

The two of them were staring at the sign which stood at the entrance to the Fluoride Gym.

"Ahh… we're here too late. Look here, Machop… it says here we've got to have a Double Battle partner…"

With a sigh, the boy turned and headed for the Pokémon Centre, his Machop following behind. A Double Battle partner might be hard to find…

But then again, he still had two days.

**A/N: The end of the 13th Chapter in the Pokémon Go! series! I hope you enjoyed it… with the introduction of RJ the next few chapters should be interesting… **

**As again I've got to say that the school term is starting again so I probably won't be able to write so much… though most of the time I ditch my homework for these things anyways so maybe not. **

**So… hopefully you all _did_ enjoy this chapter; I've decided to include unique Pokémon after all, so please review if you've got anything at all to say. **

**And R'N'Rer? Sorry about not letting Dave catch a Zubat… by the time I'd read that review I was almost done with this thingy already… **


	14. More Shopping! And a Little Aside

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon, or Dave, or RJ. I own the Pokémon Mudross, and any other Pokémon I come up with on the way, but the label Pokémon is not mine to use in any other way. Dave belongs to R'N'Rer, and RJ to Bigfoot12310. And now that we've got that straight…**

**With the school term now officially up and running, I realized I'm going to be busier than before. Hopefully I get to finish this chapter today, but pardon me if it isn't very long or written in as acerbic or witty a fashion as I would prefer… that said, let's start the next chapter already!**

They sat at one of those ubiquitous cafes which seemed to appear in almost every city; a symbol of the romance (and coffee) of the French, yet one which seemed overdone. No longer did it seem to be romantic; now it just seemed boring. Unless you were in France; but they weren't.

Erynn looked happily at the purchases she'd made, totting up the bill on her PokéNav.

"Are you sure you haven't gone over the budget…?"

She smiled; a smile of happiness as much as of self-satisfaction.

"Not at all… you wouldn't believe the number of trainers who keep rushing back and forth between Rubidium Gym and the PokéCentre… you mightn't know, but the job of a Gym Leader really _is_ quite lucrative."

Ash shrugged helplessly; it wasn't his place to say anything more, anyway. While he gave his weary limbs a rest, he kept a lookout for any trainer who looked promising enough to be his Double Battle partner. Secretly, he was wishing he could swap places with Dave.

Erynn took a bite from the sandwich she'd ordered. He'd learnt along the way that she didn't exactly eat meat; she found the eating of Pokémon too inhuman. Thinking about it, he silently admitted that it probably _was_ a tad cruel, eating your friends.

The frilly parasol which hung over their table shaded them from the harsh glare of the afternoon sun. It'd only been a few hours, but he felt like he'd been helping her do her shopping forever.

"Remind me when this deal ends again?"

She turned to him, her violet eyes meeting his for a second.

"It's only till dinner tonight. After that you're free to go wherever you please."

Inwardly he groaned.

_I'm free…? Not very likely… trust me to get myself into a situation like this…_

She saw his miserable look and laughed gently.

"That'll be the last time you say something as chauvinistic as that."

He sighed. Ditto had been right to warn him, after all.

"Fine… so, Princess, where to from here…?"

Another soft laugh; she put her sunglasses on again and left her seat, stepping out into the sunlight. Stretching, she turned to him with a grin on her face.

"We'll put this lot back in our room, and then I want to go look at some swimwear…"

_Great. More shopping. I guess I _was_ right, after all.

* * *

_

"We hope to see you again!"

Dave received his Pokéballs from Nurse Joy, his spine chilled by the portent of the words.

"What kind of sick person _are_ you!"

Nurse Joy just smiled. Just then, he heard a hiss, and turned around to see Erynn stepping through the sliding door. Ash lay on the ground beside her, his arms weighed down by what looked to be the entire GDP of the Purple-and-Black County.

"No _wonder_ he's knocked out… that's a lot of shopping…"

Erynn looked between the two of them, humming a soft note.

"No… that was the sliding door."

Ditto waddled in from behind the shopping, pulling at Ash's face until he recovered consciousness.

"Wha… oh, it's you, Dave."

With a small smile, Dave helped Ash to his feet, helping him carry the bags into the room. When it was finally done, Ash groaned and started to massage his arm.

"Man… that hurt."

Erynn's face coloured.

"It wasn't that bad…"

Ash laughed and shook his head.

"So… Dave, how'd it go with you?"

Grinning, Dave tossed two Pokéballs in the air, releasing a Mudross and a Zubat. While Ash felt happy for him, he felt a tad more miserable. Erynn watched him for a moment, and then spoke.

"Ash… it's alright… you don't have to come shopping with me if you don't want to."

He shrugged; it wasn't Erynn's fault…

_Alright it _is_ her fault._

It might've been Erynn's fault, but he really couldn't find it in himself to blame her.

"Don't worry… it isn't a problem. Dave, you want to come along?"

Looking at the large pile of shopping on the ground, he backed away slowly.

"I… think I'll go kit myself out at the PokéMart first…"

Erynn looked genuinely embarrassed. Ash shrugged and Ditto quietly giggled.

"_I can't say I blame him… but then again I can't say anything at all. Oh well…"

* * *

_

The store was small, but relatively comfortable. There were chairs and even a water cooler. The cashier counter was one of oak; the machine itself an earthy colour, located in a corner of the shop. The walls were of the same oak paneling, reminiscent of another time… perhaps just different, considering the minimalist approach the rest of the town had leant toward.

He sat in the armchair, drinking from a glass of fresh water… it made a refreshing change, not to be burdened by the bags of shopping; though he knew it was only a temporary respite, still he felt freed, if only for a while. Soon she'd step out of the fitting room in front of him, flounce over to the cashier, and add another burden to his load.

A rustling of curtains; he sighed… she was coming out.

No she wasn't. Yes she was. The curtains rustled as she seemed to be struck with a sudden indecision. And then she was out.

"Well, how do I look?"

The words were spoken a little too quickly, but he had no reply ready, anyway.

"You look…"

She was wearing a purple-and-black bikini… which was hardly surprising. But the sight in her dressed like that caused him to instinctively avert his eyes, trying not to blush.

"What… does it look… _that_ bad…?"

Her voice was halting; it sounded a tad amused, but also hesitant. Cursing inwardly, he forced himself to face her again. Behind him he could hear Ditto sigh. Whether it was directed at his behaviour or her appearance, he couldn't be sure.

"Well… it suits you… I guess…"

He kept his head low; he could hear an amused humming from her.

"Fine… thanks, I guess."

She flounced back inside and emerged minutes later dressed in her normal clothing. Relieved, Ash waited while she bought the outfit.

"And…"

She turned to him from the cashier's counter.

"Thanks for the compliment."

Ash sat there, confused.

"Even if you didn't say anything, your expression was enough."

She winked at him, and he dipped his head lower.

_What have I gotten myself into…?_

He watched the boy with more than a hint of interest. Four Pokéballs at his belt, and a good-natured face. Perhaps he'd be a good Double Battle partner…

He walked up to the boy and noticed the Espeon which slunk toward him from around a corner. Definitely strong, then.

"Hey…"

Dave looked up and noticed the boy talking to him. They looked around the same age.

"My name's RJ. You?"

Cautiously, he examined RJ. Three Pokéballs on his belt. A trainer, then.

"Hello… I'm Dave."

RJ opened his mouth, then closed it again. The Machop behind him urged him on.

"I was just wondering if you were planning on challenging the Fluoride Gym for the Synchro Badge… just because…"

"You haven't got a Double Battle partner," Dave completed the sentence for him, "I know."

RJ looked genuinely enthusiastic now.

"So… can you help me out…? I'm not weak or anything… I just happen to be travelling solo."

His tone turned a tad defensive at the end. Dave shrugged.

"Sorry… I've already got a partner…" RJ sighed. "But…"

As everybody knows, when there's a 'but', there's hope. And RJ was no exception.

"I've got an idea of who you can go to see…"

Dave turned to the counter and received his purchase.

"He'll be at the PokéCentre tonight. Come to Room 137 later on… and I'll introduce you to him."

He nodded. At least he was going somewhere now… he looked to Machop, who nodded at him. Machop had always been a good judge of character; he had to be sure he wasn't being led into a trap.

_So with any luck… I'll be able to get my second badge… and be a step closer to my dream…

* * *

_

He wished she wasn't dressed in the bikini. He really did. It would've made things a lot less awkward. Sitting on a rock, he mused about his misadventures thus far.

She'd been in the water for a while when he felt a vibration in his pocket. Absent-mindedly he flipped his PokéNav open, and noticed that he'd received an email from his parents.

_Dear Ash,_

_It's been two days now; are you well?_

_Attached is a picture of our dear Gyarados. We've decided to call him Gary. We're doing fine back here; I hope you're enjoying your journey! From what we've heard, you've defeated the Rubidium Gym leader; that's really quite something!_

_If you're wondering about Seaking back home, we've managed to buy it an aquarium so it didn't have to live with Gary. We're going to keep the house going till you come back a Pokémon champ! Keep working at it, son!_

_Love,_

_Your Parents_

He laughed as he closed his PokéDex, and then jumped as he felt something brush his cheek; she'd been reading over his shoulder. He kept his eyes averted as she sat down beside him, humming softly to herself. The sunset looked beautiful in the background; along the beach he could hear children screaming and the busy chatter of other tourists.

_Beautiful… most of it, anyway._

"I'm sorry."

She spoke abruptly, breaking the silence. Curious, he looked over at her, keeping his eyes on her face. Even in the setting sun, she wore her sunglasses.

_It must be hard to see…_

"What for?"

She laughed, a small lilting noise carried away by the sound of the waves.

"I really shouldn't have pushed you so hard today."

_Now she realizes… sheesh._

But he shrugged off the thought.

"No problems at all… I mean, why be enemies if we're going to have to go this journey together…?"

She shrugged; she didn't have anything to say.

"And Dave too. He's a good boy."

She nodded at this.

"We shouldn't make life difficult for him; you know, I think he's got a mind to travel with us now."

Ash allowed himself a small moment of mirth, remembering how he never liked to get involved in their arguments. She smiled.

"Whatever it is… thanks."

He nodded, this time.

"I guess it's time to get back to the PokéCentre now; I expect Dave's been waiting for us…"

Ditto slid off Ash's head and began to lead the way back.

"_Well, I'm glad that's solved…"_

**A/N: The end of another chapter… I didn't have a lot of time today… and I've got to sleep pretty soon, so I hope this leads up to something good. The meeting is finally going to occur in the next episode, so unless any of you have violent objections to any part of the story till now, I hope to see you again in the next episode of Pokémon Go!**


	15. Plans and Dreamthings

**Disclaimer: I do _not_ own Pokémon. And I alternate between using the American and British spellings of words but I _do_ enjoy defying the orders of the almighty Microsoft Word.**

**Oh, and Ash doesn't actually like Erynn _that_ way… but he _does_ feel uncomfortable around girls in skimpy swimsuits… like me; only I feel awkward around girls in general. Unless it's my sister… then I don't really care.**

**Whatever it is, it's finally time for RJ to meet Ash! I'm afraid this chapter will be far more rushed than the past one; my third language lessons mean I have an hour to write this, so… this is it. Chapter 15 of Pokémon Go!**

RJ knocked on the door, waiting for an answer. The numbers 137 hung over the door in a corridor filled with many such doors, all exactly the same. He was ready to turn and walk away when the door opened. It was Dave; he looked as though he'd just finished taking a shower.

"Hey, come right on in."

RJ stepped through the door, sitting in one of the black leather armchairs which, together with the table, were the only pieces of furniture in the room, apart from the beds.

"My room's actually just a short way down; room 147. Where's the trainer you said you were going to introduce me to…?"

Dave looked out the window, as though hoping that Ash and Erynn would suddenly jump through it, shouting "Surprise!" as they did.

"They should be back shortly… the sun's already going down… by the way, where's Machop…?"

RJ raised an eyebrow.

"They…?"

Dave thought for a moment, then realized what he was getting at.

"My partner's with your partner… I mean future Partner… hopefully."

RJ shrugged.

"Don't get me wrong, though; I just need a partner to get through this Gym… and then I'm off on my own."

Dave nodded.

"Understood; funnily enough, that's all he seems to want either."

"Back to your earlier question…"

RJ tapped a Pokéball attached to his waist.

"What's wrong? Plenty of Pokémon go around in Pokéballs…"

Dave shrugged sheepishly and called to Espeon, who jumped down from the upper bunk.

"Espeon's never been one to stay in a Pokéball… and Ash… your partner's Ditto, doesn't have one."

RJ looked thoughtful.

"Ash, eh…? I wonder…"

At that moment, the two trainers in question stepped into the room. Erynn wore black leather pants, and a jacket over her bikini top now; Ash looked from Dave to the newcomer with bemused interest. His eyes lingered on the boy's Pokéballs, and his spiky hairdo.

"Dave… who's this…?"

Dave quickly got up and made the introductions. Now it was RJ's turn to examine Ash, and particularly the Ditto which stood at his feet.

"Nice to meet you, Ash; I'm RJ."

Ash raised an eyebrow even as he took the proffered hand.

"RJ…? Does that stand for something, or is that really your name…?"

RJ shrugged; he didn't really care to answer that.

"Just call me RJ."

The two of them shook hands, then stepped back in customary trainer-to-trainer appraisal.

"So…" Ash started.

"Dave said you didn't have a Double Battle partner…" RJ tried.

"Great! I guess that settles it!"

At that, the two of them shook hands, grinning. Erynn looked between the two of them, more than a little confused.

"So… is that it, then? Are the two of you Double Battle partners already…?"

The two of them turned to her and nodded. Ditto bobbed its head up and down from its place on Ash's shoulder.

_Eh… what…?_

"Ditto… get off my shoulder! You're starting to eat into the fabric."

Reluctantly, Ditto climbed off his shoulder, making small dissatisfied noises as it did.

"_It's not _my_ fault I slime clothes up, Dit…"_

RJ looked amusedly at the scene, unsure of what to say. After Ash had cleaned up the stain adequately, he turned back to RJ.

"Sorry about that… this is my Pokémon partner… Ditto."

Ditto waved hello.

RJ smiled and removed a Pokéball from his belt.

"Come on out, Machop."

The grey-green humanoid emerged from the Pokéball in a flash of red immateria. He walked up to the pink creature and greeted it in Pokémon fashion.

"_Nice to meet you."_

Ditto was genuinely pleased at meeting a sociable Pokémon to talk to. All Hoppip had done was sleep all day, and Espeon had seemed a little old.

"_Hello. I'm Ditto and my trainer's an idiot."_

Machop sweatdropped, more than a little taken aback.

"_That's… interesting."_

Ditto made a noise that sounded suspiciously like Erynn's humming. Then, hoping it hadn't defamed his trainer too much, he tried a compromise.

"_But he really is nice at heart."_

Ash and RJ watched the conversation with interest; neither had any idea what either was saying, though. Erynn let out a little laugh as Ditto spoke again.

"It's not saying much nice about you, Ash…"

Ash turned to Erynn, curious.

"How did you know that…?"

She shrugged.

"From Ditto's body language, it's fairly obvious…"

She looked to the other two boys in the room; none of them seemed to believe it for a minute.

"I'm not lying," she said flatly.

"Right… then…" Ash collapsed into the chair next to RJ. Erynn sighed and gathered up her things to go take a shower. Dave shrugged and returned to his preparing his items for the trip to Lake Baria he'd planned the next day.

RJ looked to Ash. Ash looked to RJ. Neither of them knew what to say.

"We _should_ try at least one Double Battle before we challenge the gym…" this from RJ.

Ash nodded slowly; he hadn't actually thought of that, surprisingly.

"We could go try and find some trainers to battle tomorrow…"

RJ shook his head; his eyes gleamed with the spark of an idea.

"Better. Tomorrow we can visit the Trainer's Square."

Clueless, Ash motioned for him to continue. This boy looked younger than he was, and his haircut might have seemed a tad over the top, but he was definitely a lot better informed than he was.

"Every Sunday, trainers from all over the city turn up in the city's center to test their Pokémon against one another. No prizes, but it's the best place to go if you want a challenge. I've heard some of the other cities, specifically Magnes and Gold, hold these weekly events as well."

Dave had finished with his packing, and now came over to listen.

"How do you know all of this…?"

RJ shrugged.

"Experience. And a good Trainer's Handbook always helps."

"I think maybe I'd like to go too…"

RJ shrugged.

"Sure; the more the merrier, I always say."

Ash stared at him a moment.

"Do you?"

Caught by this abrupt question, RJ answered, obviously amused.

"Well… frankly no. But I always _did_ want to."

* * *

He lay awake in his bed; he couldn't sleep. Something nagged at him, something he thought he needed to do. The bunk under his was occupied by Dave and a very restless Espeon, while Ditto lay in Erynn's bunk over at the other end. For some reason the little pink squirt had developed a bond with the purple-and-black girl.

The night was quiet, apart from a soft whirring sound that was the Pokémon Recovery Machine which was the centerpiece of every Pokémon Centre. RJ was back in his own room, while the gentle breathing of the room's four other occupants was all that disturbed the silence, with an occasional snortle from Ditto.

At the foot of his bed he felt the weight of six or seven shopping bags; Erynn's purchases had been unable to fit in the tiny cupboard they'd been given; their bags were already inside. He squirmed in his bed, restlessly trying to find his own way to the Land of Nod.

He remembered the day's events as though they were a passing dream. Dave's waking him up… then Erynn's beating him up. Her dragging of his reluctant body to the first shop, and his subsequent submission (not the Pokémon attack); the breakfast they'd had of two salads and skimmed MooMoo Milk. He grimaced as he remembered how she'd tried to force him onto a vegetarian diet.

More shopping; he subconsciously balled his hands into a fist to remember the torture it'd been to carry all her purchases; even now he still felt a twinge of fatigue.

_Funny; the fatigue should've put me to sleep already… yet…_

He remembered lunch; it hadn't been especially fulfilling. He'd practically flown at his sandwich; he remembered her tiny bites… slowly; far slower than he'd have thought possible. And he remembered the café with its frilly parasols; so wonderfully unromantic in its proliferation.

He remembered how she'd brought him to that strange, out-of-place store, where she'd bought that ridiculously skimpy outfit. He tried not to remember how she looked in it. He remembered, too, the PokéNav and the email message he'd received. Softly he remembered his parents, and the faith they had in him.

He remembered the joint apology the two of them had made; it seemed like a milestone in them getting to know each other, at any rate. He remembered RJ, and that it would have been nice had he also remembered to thank Dave for helping him find a partner. He remembered what they had planned; that the four of them would visit the Trainer's Square together… and because of that he remembered what it was he truly wanted on this journey, and how it seemed to be working out just fine.

He remembered… and then he fell asleep.

**A/N: It's the end of another chapter! I hope you enjoyed it because I'm half an hour late for bed and I've got to go to sleep and all so have a nice day and good night!**

**I have classes till late on Tuesdays and Thursdays so I'm sorry if this comes out a little rushed. Have a nice day all and, as again, good night!**


	16. Trainer's Square: Fluoride City

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. I own this fan fiction (well most of it, anyway), but I do not own Pokémon. Wednesdays are normally such free days… well I've got two or three hours to write this story today… for which I'm thankful. Thanks to WickedWolf09 for reviewing! That's another new reviewer now… well I'm happy, and I hope you all are as well. Here's the next chapter of Pokémon Go, and I hope you enjoy it!**

_Wake up…_

Ash groaned, turning in bed, trying to get away from the sound. It was too early to…

_Wake up…!_

He'd only just gotten to sleep; he needed his eight hours of sleep…

"WAKE UP!"

Startled, he shot upright and hit his head against the ceiling. Disoriented, he looked around wildly before realizing Erynn and Dave already wide-awake, Dave making as if to go take a shower. Erynn was already fully prepped, it seemed, and was toweling her hair dry; she hid a small smile under her towel as he winced, rubbing the bump on his head.

"Sheesh, Erynn, you didn't have to shout…"

Erynn hummed a little tune, apparently not listening. Dave shrugged haplessly and hastened to explain.

"Espeon tried sending psychic messages to you after a few minutes of my shouting didn't do anything… Erynn… wanted to help… I guess."

Ash shot her a dirty look.

"Wanted to help…?"

Dave smiled sheepishly.

"Insisted, rather."

Ash turned to the clock which hung on a wall in the room. It was 8.30 in the morning.

"Half-an-hour… there's plenty of time…"

He yawned and climbed down the bunk, gathering his own things.

"RJ's meeting us at nine, isn't he?"

Dave nodded. Erynn finished drying her hair and begun to pack her used clothing into a small bag. Ash watched her hum contentedly for a while, and then shook his head helplessly.

"Fine; if it'll make Princess here happy, let's go get ready."

* * *

He waited for them in the lobby, seated on the hard, black leather chair; his gaze alternated between the clock which hung above the reception desk and the corridor from which he expected them to burst through at any moment. The PokéCentre was relatively crowded today; trainers from neighbouring cities, as well as locals, had all come together for the event at Trainer's Square. He watched as a few slightly older trainers handed their Pokéballs to Nurse Joy; people had been arriving since morning. The immaculate Nurse Joy and her Chansey friend worked remarkably effectively; they popped up as suddenly as Digletts from beneath the counter.

"Hurry up; we're going to be late…"

He turned in the direction of the voice and stood up to greet the three of them.

"Hello, guys… don't worry," he added, reading their expressions correctly, "I haven't waited long."

Dave ran toward the door.

"What are we waiting for…?"

Ash shrugged. Somehow he'd expected something more before they left.

"Is there any… particular order or format there… at the Square…?"

RJ shrugged.

"As far as I know, it's just a few small arenas built into the stone… trainers fight whenever they feel like it, is all."

Ash nodded; a tad disappointed.

"That's all, then…?"

Dave stepped out of the way as another group of trainers entered; their sweat-stained shirts meant they'd probably traveled quite a distance. Dave turned to RJ.

"These trainers…"

"They've come for the event." RJ answered his unfinished question.

* * *

The four of them stepped out into the fresh morning air to the hiss of sliding doors. Ash hesitated a moment until the others walked through, then dashed across the dread border.

The quiet hung around the city like a fog; trainers trickled in from the south gate near where they were situated, but still the city remained as though in its early waking stages.

Ash nodded.

_The city that never sleeps… has one serious hangover. _

As they followed RJ through the city, Ash fully appreciated how large it was; the shopping district he and Erynn had visited the day before was merely a small fragment of this metropolis that they made their way through now. Across long stretches of pavement, automated conveyor belts had been set in to help pedestrians along. Most of the shops were closed, but a few were already being opened. Erynn stopped at a shop which featured a very pretty dress of her preferred colour before Ash pulled her along. Up an escalator, through a tunnel flyover made entirely of glass… and they got their first glimpse of the city from above.

On either side, high-rise buildings towered over them; smaller buildings littered the city in what appeared to be random patterns. The roads and alleys were a maze of twisted lines in the sea of shops and buildings. At every few blocks the sea would be broken by beautifully-tended parks; Ash could see a girl walking her Poochyena from where he stood. The sky was cloudless; clear.

Turning, he could see the Gym in the distance; it was a tall building made entirely of black glass. Tall, but very narrow. Remembering the structure of the previous Gym, he wondered just how they were meant to battle here…

And then his attention was caught by a large break in the sea. A huge rectangular clearing made entirely of stone, with over a hundred small enclosures built into it. Even from above he could see the masses of trainers pouring in. Erynn gasped at the enclosures, which contained terrain of all different kinds; in one of the enclosures, for example, lush foliage reigned, with a pool of water situated in its center. Ash stopped and stared at the sheer vastness of the place.

"_That's… a little frightening, Dit…"_

RJ's footsteps continued to echo around the glass tunnel as he stopped.

"You guys coming?"

He seemed a little amused at the surprise on their faces. Dave watched the battles taking place below with anticipation, and then turned to face RJ.

"Is that…"

But _that_ unfinished question needed no reply.

* * *

They stepped into the Trainer's Square, looking around bemusedly at the crowd of trainers already there. All around them, sounds of battle could be heard.

"Pyuro! Use Confuse Ray!"

"Durana; finish it off with Hyper Beam!"

"Let's do it, Ninjask; attack with Silver Wind!"

"Darn it! Nebul, return!"

"Now, one more attack…!"

Their cries were everywhere. Those that weren't battle were busy spectating. Benches had been situated in front of each enclosure, but most of the spectators had their faces pressed against the glass walls of the enclosure.

The Square itself was a large enclosure; a glass dome contained everything inside itself, and every one hundred metres or so along the glass, small machines which conditioned the air made their soft whirring noises. The air was pleasantly cool.

Excited, everyone felt like running off in different directions.

"Stay together… it's too easy to get lost here."

Ash seemed almost surprised he'd said that. Ditto certainly was. It made a small noise of approval before Ash realized it had somehow gotten onto his shoulder again. Dave watched a battle between a Dragonair and a Starmie. The Starmie's psychic attacks seemed to be getting the better of the inexperienced Dragonair. RJ scanned the enclosures for a sign of…

"This way, everyone."

The four of them made their way down a row of enclosures, turning left and right again after. They walked through a tall gate which had the words

_Double Battle_

Written above it in bold letters; the arenas here were larger, the crowds significantly so. The four of them read a sign which had been placed at its entrance.

**Trainers; this area is for your Double Battling purpose. Please keep to your own colour-code based on your level of experience.**

**Green – Beginner Trainers with Pokémon no higher than level 15.**

**Yellow – Intermediate Trainers with Pokémon no higher than level 20.**

**Orange – Advanced Trainers with Pokémon no higher than level 30.**

**Red – Expert Trainers with Pokémon no higher than level 40.**

**All trainers with Pokémon of a higher level may participate in the free-battle zones; these are colour-coded blue.**

**Please do not swear, litter, smoke, spit, cheat, abuse your Pokémon or other trainers while in these compounds. **

**Have a nice day**

**Trainer's Square – Fluoride Administration.**

"That explains it then," RJ said simply, "we should just stick to the green and possibly yellow sections as much as possible… and avoid the blue unless you're suicidal…"

Dave nodded; he was clearly ready to go. Ash shrugged, unsure of what to say. Erynn hummed a little note as she watched a red-haired girl defeat an enemy Ivysaur with her Manetric in one of the yellow enclosures.

"… let's go, then. If we get lost we'll meet back here…"

At those words, Dave immediately sped off in the direction of the green enclosures. Erynn opened her mouth as though to say something, then closed it and ran after him. Hesitantly, Ash stepped into the fray, eyes taking in everything around him. Ditto waddled after him, and RJ and Machop took the rear.

The enclosures were all made of stone, and up close, each arena looked all the more realistic; staring into one seemed like looking into another world; almost. He heard a loud booming sound and turned to see a Charizard being thrown against the glass by a Golem before being crushed into the ground with a Hydro Pump from the Golem's partner, a Politoed. Hurriedly he moved on, checking the coloured orbs which were set into the side of each enclosure.

In the green area, the Pokémon battles were far tamer. Seeing an opening, RJ pulled Ash along towards an empty enclosure. The area here was less crowded; Ash noticed the terrain here was one of a desert, with a few rocks and an (apparently) fake mountain. He turned to RJ's Machop, who stepped toward a small platform set into the side of the glass arena. Immediately the platform began to hover and drift toward the glass wall of the dome. Ash wondered what'd happen when Machop simply _went_ through the glass. Ash tested the glass with his hand; it felt firm. When RJ saw what he was doing, he couldn't help but laugh.

The wall shimmered for an instant, then stiffened again. The platform carrying Machop settled into a dock situated in the arena itself. Once Machop stepped off, the platform descended into the dock, and the dock practically buried itself, leaving nothing there. A tone sounded, and Ash looked up to see the display board above their heads. A profile picture of Machop appeared above RJ, and a green O appeared beside it. He noticed that the display board above his head had a red X.

Motioning to Ditto, he watched as the little creature reluctantly stepped onto the platform. As it neared the glass wall, Ditto jumped off, sending the platform trundling back. RJ slapped his forehead.

The next time, trainer and Pokémon both winced; but Ditto was through. Another tone sounded, and Ditto's profile appeared above his head. It seemed as though photos were taken on the spot, because a potato appeared.

* * *

Unsurprisingly, their arrival began to attract a few other trainers. Erynn winked at them as she and Dave walked past, wishing them luck. Dave and Espeon were racing through the crowds; Ash suspected he was looking for stronger prospective battlers.

He heard the footsteps and two trainers finally stepped up. A boy and a girl; the boy looked around his age, but the girl younger. They were wearing matching blue and red respectively.

_People these days…_

He watched as they released their Pokémon. A Nidoran of either gender.

_Cliché. Done, done, and done._

The two Pokémon entered the arena, eliciting murmurs from the crowd which now surrounded the arena; they were starting to look like all the other arenas around.

_I don't understand how people can think in these crowds…_

Two more tones signaled the registration of both the opposing Pokémon on the field. Looking up, he realized that the display screen also noted down the health status of each Pokémon. Looking at his opponent's details, he realized that the camera had somehow managed to take a rather flattering profile of the male Nidoran's posterior.

_Amusing. Disturbing, but amusing nonetheless._

RJ tensed beside him as a countdown clock appeared.

_5…4…3…2…1…_

A bell sounded. You'd have thought it was a wrestling match.

"Machop! Use Seismic Toss!"

"Ray, meet him head on with a Horn Attack!"

"Rena, attack the Ditto with a Double Kick!"

Ash stood there, unsure of what to do.

"Ditto! Agility…!"

As Ditto emerged from the dust undamaged, he watched with satisfaction as Machop managed to toss the rock straight into Nidoran's Horn Attack.

_The element of surprise… at least we have that on our side… for now._

**A/N: My bedtime's here, so I guess I'll have to go for now. Next, I'll be switching to Erynn and Dave's battle, so stay tuned for more! Hope you enjoyed these chapters, and please review!**

**Thanks so much and good night!**


	17. Trainer's Square: Dave and Erynn

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. I own a Gameboy and cartridges, courtesy of Nintendo and my parents, but that's about all. Oh, and the characters I've created too. They don't include characters kindly submitted by R'N'Rer, Bigfoot12310, and WickedWolf09. The last of which you haven't seen yet. Or maybe you have… but don't worry; in the next few chapters (s)he'll appear! **

**Hooray for all that. In my random spare time during class I did a small sketch of Erynn which I've put a link to on my profile. It'll be cool if everyone who submits an OC draws the character as well… while it'll defeat the purpose of me describing them (which I'll do nonetheless), it's fun and will look good with your character. **

**Well enough about that… third language took too long, and I've got an hour to do this so… let's go! Pokémon Go, Chapter 17!**

Dave and Erynn looked between each other and the platforms at their feet. Uncertainly they watched as the trainers standing on the other side released their Pokémon and entered them into the arena.

"Well… I guess that's how you do it…"

Erynn shrugged and removed a Pokéball from her belt.

"Griven; let's go."

Espeon moved to step on the platform, but Dave held out a hand to stop her.

"Wait a minute…"

The silhouette of an enormous Pokémon took shape against the glass wall.

"It's a Steelix…"

The massive steel snake dominated a large part of the enclosure. Its tail whipped furiously; it was lucky the field was a bare one, with just a few metal columns rising from the dry earth, or something might have been destroyed. In its shadow was a small Pokémon, puny in comparison. Dave looked up at the display screen.

"And that's… a Pikachu."

He switched Pokéballs in his hand.

"Sorry, Espeon; not this time. Come out, Mudross!"

He released his newly-acquired Pokémon, watching in apprehension as it entered the arena. Its white eyes blazed malevolently, facing the two opposing Pokémon alongside Griven. A tone sounded, indicating the registration of the new Pokémon.

Murmurs began to rise from every side; Mudross were rarely caught because of their ability to melt away at any time. More importantly, however, the stage was set. A holographic number counted down the seconds till the battle officially began.

_5…4…3…2…1…!_

A green light flashed through the arena. In that instant, the Pikachu and Steelix both started forward, as did Griven and Mudross.

"Griven; take that Steelix down with an Ember!"

"Mud Slap, Mudross! Ground them now!"

The Growlithe charged towards the Steelix, flames sprouting from its jaws.

"Stella; use Dig."

The soft, slightly musical voice rang out an instant before Griven's attack struck.

"Pikachu! Quick Attack, now!"

At the same time, another voice called the command. Mudross's Mud Slap hit it, but just barely. It dodged the brunt of the attack with its intense speed.

The Growlithe jumped, releasing a stream of fire where, seconds before, a Steel Pokémon had once stood. Frustrated, it landed on its feet, whirling in a circle and looking around for its target; it hardly had time to notice the Pikachu which hurtled headfirst into it, winding it.

Erynn cursed under her breath. There went their first strike…

"Griven! Get off the ground! Get onto one of the columns…!"

Nodding, the large Growlithe recovered, knocking the Pikachu to a side and leaping up and landed perfectly on the top of the steel column. Not a moment too soon…

"Now, Mudross! Magnitude!"

The Earth Shaker Pokémon dived, disappearing into the earth. As it did, ripples began to form; it seemed almost like the creature had jumped into a pool of water. But as the ripples grew, they began to crack and fracture.

"Darn it! Pikachu, get up!"

The Pikachu shot off in another burst of speed, racing against the tide of molten earth. Towards the left of the arena, a loud booming was heard as Steelix exploded out of the ground, obviously injured.

"Growlithe! Use Ember on the column!"

Dave grinned as the Pikachu stopped directly in front of the column it had intended to scale. Spectators closer to the right edge of the arena backed away as the metal column began to grow hot enough to be felt even from outside the arena.

"Pikaaa!"

The Pokémon cried out in shock as the earthen tide fell upon it.

"Now; Mudross! Finish it with a Tackle!"

In a flash, Mudross emerged at the fore of the wave, the extra momentum sending it straight toward…

"Stella! Bind, now!"

The moment fell short as the steel tail of the Pokémon whipped out, stopping the Ground-Pokémon's progress.

"Ugh…"

With swiftness incredible for its size, the large Steel snake wrapped itself around Mudross, preventing it from escaping.

"Griven…!"

"Pikachu! Stop it with a Thundershock!"

But the attack was ineffectual as Griven jumped into the air, releasing another stream of liquid fire from its mouth. The Thundershock flew off-target, the metal columns conducting it into the ground, harmless.

The Steelix roared in pain and released its hold of Mudross; its metal body scorched a pale red by the heat. Mudross immediately sank into the ground, virtually undetectable. Griven landed on the ground, whirling to face the two opposing Pokémon. Chancing a quick glance at the screen, Erynn noticed that their opponent's Pokémon were weakening far faster than their own.

"Stella; bind the Growlithe, now!"

Before Erynn had time to respond, the iron tail of the Steelix had Griven in its crushing grasp. As though this had been planned beforehand, Pikachu jumped up onto the Steelix's head…

"Griven – break free with…"

"Pikachu! Thundershock again!"

This time, the Pikachu directed its attack at one of the long spikes which covered Steelix's body. Like a lightning spire, it conducted the electricity…

Right into Griven.

Next to her, Dave snarled with more than a little frustration.

"Mudross! Magnitude one more time!"

But nothing seemed to happen. Griven struggled to fight back, but the lightning grip began to take its hold, and his struggling seemed to gradually cease…

Erynn called encouragement worriedly, glancing over at Dave, who had his eyes closed as though in defeat…

"… or victory. Go, Mudross!"

In that instant, time slowed to a crawl.

The Pikachu continued releasing its attack through Steelix, its electricity coursing through the snake as though it was a wire; one wrapped in a suffocating embrace around the large fire puppy. Griven's moan of pain seemed a long, prolonged howl, which quickly turned into a yelp of surprise as it was released from its electrical prison.

The audience gasped as the Steelix was flung against the side of the arena. Pikachu followed shortly after, the two of them landing on the soft ground, knocked out one on top of the other. Small sparks flickered from Pikachu's cheeks as the mobile platforms carried the two Pokémon back to their trainers.

All that could be seen of Griven was a large cloud of dust; a faint silhouette of the Growlithecould be seen, but its shape was indiscernible.

The dust settled.

Griven stood, but just barely, standing on a column made entirely of earth. The ground directly around the column crumbled away in a crater which spanned quite a distance; it was situated in the exact position where the three Pokémon had been fighting. Dust trails still lingered in the air, marking the trajectory of Steelix and Pikachu's flight. A hushed silence as the audience awaited the appearance of the last Pokémon, the only one, according to the display screen, which was still in a condition to fight.

As the dust settled on the ground, a few darker grains were swept back into the air by the wind… but there was no wind.

In a sudden rush, Mudross was whole again. The audience erupted into cheers as a green light engulfed Dave and Erynn's platforms. Their names (as written on their trainer IDs) flashed across the screen… and then it was over.

Dave flipped his PokéNav shut, satisfied.

* * *

_Keywords **Mudross, Explosion**… analyzing… data found. _

_While this attack normally results in the attacker sacrificing all its energy into a single attack, **Mudross**, a native of the Elem region, is one of the few Pokémon that need only sacrifice a certain amount of their total energy to perform **Explosion**, its unique body structure allowing it to perform a weaker, ground-based version of the attack. **Mudross** may thus use the ability Magnablast, sacrificing three-quarters of its energy.  
_

* * *

Their enemies were obviously surprised. A freely-transforming Ditto and a Seismic Toss directed at a rock, not a Pokémon.

"Heh… if we keep this up, we've got it won, easy."

Ash shrugged.

"Doesn't look like they're letting up, though."

The male Nidoran had recovered well from the attack, while the female had whirled around to face Hitmontop-Ditto. The audience were abuzz as the battle heated up. The two trainers seemed to be mimicking each other as they attacked again.

"Ray!"

"Rena!"

"Poison Spray!"

The two creatures simultaneously sprayed tiny poison needles directly at the two Pokémon. Hit by a glancing blow, Machop dodged behind a rock, while Ditto…

"Rapid Spin!"

The audience hurriedly backed away as the missiles flew in all directions, striking the glass walls. Immaterion Corporations had done their job well, though; none of them seemed in any danger of breaking.

"Man… I should've bought these for my television set… that's the third one the kids've spoiled this week…" one of the bystanders mused.

RJ winced as Machop barely dodged the spray.

"Be careful where you aim that thing…"

Ash shrugged apologetically.

"Can't help it… sorry."

The Nidoran had suffered minor scratches from the attack, but being poison Pokémon, they were entirely unfazed.

"Horn Attack, Ray!"

"Do it with Double Kick!"

The two Pokémon charged at them again; this time they had the initiative.

"RJ; get your Machop to use Focus Energy!"

RJ looked at him, eyes agog.

"Now…?"

He eyed the advancing Pokémon nervously.

"Now…! Ditto; Flash!"

As he shouted it, he ducked under his OPL jacket, squeezing his eyes shut. Alas, none of the other spectators/trainers in the area had the foresight _or_ the reflexes to dodge.

The white Tangela stood in the middle of the battlefield, the Machop finally opening its eyes. Ash looked around as everyone else stood blinking; RJ among them.

"Time to take advantage of the situation…"

_It's always more fun when there's no one around to see…_

**I've missed my bedtime by a few hours. Cool. Anyways the picture's up and I hope you all do consider drawing your own characters, if not for me, then for fun. It'd be quite interesting. **

**But either way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter; sorry if it was a little short, I really don't have the time today .. And I've got 'physical education' tomorrow. Crud. Oh well I really do hope you liked it… and please do review! **

**Edit **

**Changed 'May' to 'Erynn', thanks to WickedWolf09's review. Sorry… must have been really bleary when I wrote that XX **

**Endedit **


	18. Trainer's Square: Ash and RJ

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. And I realized how rushed the last chapter was when I read it. I do not own RJ or Dave or… the character of WickedWolfe09's which I shall _definitely_ use once I'm done with the battle, I promise. **

**Tyrannosaurus Cerato, thanks for the review. I appreciate your character submission and will try to use it, though I think if I _do_ use it it'll be a while… Gym Leaders don't often travel around without having something to do. If I figure it out I'll be using him as well… **

**And that reminds me; in a while I'll be having too many OCs. Kudos to R'N'Rer to start the submission thing for my story but in a while this'll get tiring. So submit characters while you can (these chapters are still more or less introductions) before I close the submissions (somehow). **

**Thanks also due to VampireWizard, who swamped my mailbox with reviews. In case you don't know, Dave is an OC submitted by R'N'Rer, and RJ an OC from Bigfoot12310. It's kinda cool to get all these thingies… makes me feel appreciated. **

**I wish I could draw sprites like that. I can't draw a thing on the computer. I finished a picture of Mudross on my Humanities worksheet which I'll probably be posting up. Is that a Magnemite I see on the Pokémon Mes? **

**Whatever it is, this has been one long A/N / Disclaimer. I'm afraid Ash really is just winging it and has no idea what he's doing at all, but… well just wait and see! Pokémon Go! chapter 18; begin!**

The white Tangela rushed forward as the two Nidoran stood dumbly blinking, stunned by the intense glare of the light.

"Tangela! Vine Whip!"

His voice rang out among the murmurs of confusion in the crowd. They could hear him, but they couldn't see him. Tangela and Machop, however, could.

_Which is more than I can say for RJ…_

He turned to his partner, who was still trying to shake off the temporary blindness.

"Hey… RJ…"

The trainer nodded his understanding, his spiky hair staying in place remarkably well. Must've been some super-strong hair gel; Ash made a mental note never to play with balloons near him.

"Go ahead. Machop, follow Ash."

The Machop turned and nodded, then looked expectantly at Ash. Ash nodded its way and focused on Ditto-Tangela. As the morphed creature ran between the two Nidoran, vines whipped out, catching both of them under the chin and lifting them into the air.

"Machop… get ready… Focus Energy one more time…"

He turned toward Tangela, who still held the Pokémon in its grasp.

"Now! Tangela… fling the two Nidoran at Machop!"

Tangela hesitated. Machop's concentration wavered.

"Just… do it! Now!"

With a sideways glance at Ash, Tangela flung the two Poison Pokémon at Machop. To give Machop due credit, it continued focusing its energy despite the two Pokémon hurtling towards it.

In the crowd, sight began to be restored, as was indicated by a series of loud gasps as the crowd watched, as one. Ash felt RJ's apprehensive gaze, and nodded reassuringly. The two trainers facing them called out attacks as they did.

"Ray! Use the momentum to power your Horn Attack!"

"Rena! Do it with a Scratch attack!"

The distance between the Pokémon narrowed. Machop still had his eyes closed.

_Now… not yet… wait…_

"Now! Machop; Counter!"

In a movement so languid it seemed as though in slow motion, he slowly opened his eyes, spreading his feet apart and raised his hand to his chest level, palm facing outward. Immediately there was a sound, of thunder without lightning. For a second the both Nidoran were frozen in front of the Machop, attacks blocked by a single iron palm.

And then another sound, this time of rushing wind. The ground exploded directly in front of Machop, the speed of its attack incredible. The Nidoran flew from one end of the arena to the other, landing in a flurry of dust and dirt. Blink and you'd have missed it.

RJ nodded, impressed.

"I never knew it could do that…"

Ash shrugged.

"You did. You just never had Pokémon rushing towards Machop at such extreme speeds before."

The crowd interrupted their conversation with a gasp.

_That's not very polite…_

The two Nidoran were still standing. Just barely, but they were.

"Come on, Ditto. Let's finish this. Hyper Beam!"

The audience gasped again as the Tangela metamorphosed into a huge Dragonite.

"Where in Jirachi's name did you get that morph…?"

**A/N: And in my story, PokéMorphs don't appear. So no confusion.**

"We were watching one of the blue-zone battles till you dragged us away. It's the only attack I know it has, because it just used it… what…?"

He turned as the Ditto-Dragonite began to charge its Hyper Beam attack. Machop ran out of the way. The two Nidoran were unable to move, sitting ducks for the blow. The audience shielded their eyes, but the attack never came. Ditto-Dragonite began to colour-shift from gold to pink and back again; before they knew it Ditto lay in front of them, getting to its feet a trifle exhausted.

The display screen above their heads showed that the Nidorans were in critical condition, with Ditto only marginally better. The only Pokémon capable of fighting effectively was Machop.

"What happened…?"

RJ shrugged.

"I'm guessing Ditto isn't strong enough to handle the full power of Hyper Beam… charging it up takes a _lot_ out of the Pokémon."

Ash cursed, while RJ took charge.

"Don't worry; I'll help you finish them off. Machop! Let's go!"

The Machop seemed to intuitively know what RJ wanted. He barely had to open his mouth as the Pokémon dodged left and right, jumping from boulder to boulder above the spray of Poison Stings they'd directed at him. Springing off the wall, he delivered a Karate Chop to the neck of one of the Nidoran, incapacitating it.

The only remaining Nidoran was male. It might have been tired, but there was still plenty of fight in it. Machop somersaulted onto the ground directly in front of it.

"Karate Chop!"

"Ray; Counter and Horn Attack!"

Bringing its palm down, Machop sought to end the battle, only to be parried by the horn of the Nidoran, Ray. As he was thrown off his feet by the force of the counter, Machop rolled away only just in time; Nidoran's horn caught nothing but air.

Machop stood; then it winced. Staring at its arm, it recognized the feeling of nausea; somehow the barbs had managed to poison him. His vision bleary, he struggled to maintain consciousness; from the right it could just see a purple blur rushing at him.

The spectators knew what was happening, and responded with gasps of surprise. RJ watched as the Nidoran charged toward Machop for a final blow.

"Come on, Machop; don't let me down now…! My father and yours have taught us too well to lose here…!"

In the arena, Machop heard, and felt the pain ebbing away. His father… he had been a great Machamp; his trainer, Bruno, had been one of the most powerful trainers in the region…

_"Remember… that in adversity lies strength… if you use that to your advantage…"_

His vision cleared. In a state of mind above anything he'd ever experienced, he watched the Nidoran charge towards him at a snail's pace; heard the words of his trainer echo in the back of his mind; felt the adrenaline rush through his system as he moved to obey; like a dream…

"Seismic Toss!"

Gritting his teeth, Machop received the Horn Attack in both his hands, transferring the Nidoran's forward momentum into the direction of his own choosing.

_"Back to your trainer you go…"_

With a grunt, he released the Nidoran, sending him crashing into the dirt just a few feet from his trainer. Mercifully, it was unconscious.

The crowd erupted into cheers as Ditto and Machop exhaustedly stood the winners of the Double Battle match. A green light flashed above Ash and RJ's platforms, indicating their win. Above their heads, congratulatory messages with their names were displayed.

With Machop back in its Pokéball to rest, RJ mopped the sweat off of his brow; gelled hair did not retain perspiration very well. Then he noticed Ash's hand, offered to him, and he took it.

"I couldn't have done it without you… thanks."

And it doesn't matter who said that line, because either of them could; after all, they won the battle together.

* * *

Ash was at the PokéCentre two battles later. The place was starting to get more crowded as it approached noon. While RJ had been ready to go right after getting his Pokémon were healed, Ash was a different story. After all, his Ditto couldn't be healed in any one of the machines; it'd gotten too used to staying out of a Pokéball to keep itself in. 

Ash was eating when Dave and Erynn walked in; Dave looked flushed with victory, but Erynn less so. Looking around, Dave noticed that RJ wasn't with him.

"Where's he gone…?"

Ash shrugged from his seat on the couch.

"He's gone back to the Square to keep on battling. Me… I'm tired; and so's Ditto."

Dave thought a moment, and then approached the counter to heal his Pokémon. Erynn returned with her Pokéballs and sat down beside him, to Ash's surprise.

"Aren't you going to go battle again…? You haven't got a sleeping Pokémon, you know."

He looked pointedly at Ditto, who lay between them asleep. The tiny Pokémon looked so cute that she was tempted to smile. But she managed to keep her face straight.

"The point is… I haven't got the stamina Dave or RJ has… you said _you_ were tired, didn't you…?"

Ash opened his mouth to speak as Dave returned. Dave was waiting expectantly for Erynn, who rose reluctantly.

"Eh… Dave; wait a sec."

Ash rose from his seat; he didn't know why he was doing this… it seemed stupid and utterly pointless, but…

"I've got an idea… why not we try switching Double Battle partners…? You know, for a bit of variety…?"

Dave looked uncertain.

"Erynn… you okay with that?"

Ash shot Erynn a look and she returned it, grateful.

"Sure, no problem… it'll be cool for you and RJ to battle together… won't it?"

She added that last as Ash nudged her in the ribs. Speaking in a tone that wasn't hers… it wouldn't help the pretense.

Dave shrugged.

"Fine… Ash, you got any idea where RJ might be…?"

"Err, yeah. He said to look around the green solo battle area… he'd be in one of the Wasteland arenas."

**A/N: If you haven't noticed by now I've split the arenas into colours and terrains. Wasteland refers to the type Ash and RJ had first battled at.**

She heaved a sigh of relief as the doors hissed behind Dave. She didn't find him annoying, and in fact quite liked him in their group. The prospect of another grueling battle, though, was beyond her. She opened her mouth to thank Ash, who raised a finger.

"Just one thing…"

She looked at him quizzically.

"No more shopping; please."

She rose indignantly.

"I told you I was sorry…!"

She calmed down as she saw the smile on his face.

"Don't worry about it… now I think I'd better take Ditto to the room. The leather doesn't seem to take kindly to him…"

* * *

"Omanyte! Finish it off with another Water Gun!" 

Green light washed over RJ as his shellfish Pokémon finished off the enemy Ponyta. Stepping off the platform after recalling the Pokémon, he was surprised to find Dave there, alone.

"What are you doing here…? Where's Erynn?"

Dave rolled his eyes.

"With Ash. He suggested I try Double Battling with you."

RJ shook his head in wonder. The two of them might've been older, but they weren't going to get better that way.

"I don't really feel like Double Battling with you right now… I find normal battles more exciting."

Dave froze as though struck by a thought.

"Why not we battle _each other_ then…?"

RJ opened his mouth to speak, but then noticed the Espeon which stood at Dave's feet. Her red ruby glinted in the sunlight. He closed it again.

"Nah… don't want to get creamed by your Espeon."

Which was just as well, Dave reflected. His other Pokémon were no match for RJ's Pokémon, anyway.

"What do we do now…?"

The two of them stood amidst the battling crowd, looking at each other.

"I was going to continue battling till you came along… but since you're here, why not we have lunch first?"

Dave nodded at the suggestion.

"And then Double Battle after that…?"

RJ nodded, a trifle amused. He might've been the youngest of the four, but he wasn't sure that they were better trainers for it.

* * *

Ash carefully set Ditto on the bed, closing the door and locking it behind him. Erynn stood outside, waiting for him. 

"Hey Ash…" she started.

After making sure the door was firmly locked, Ash pocketed the key and turned to her.

"Have you eaten yet?" His question was abrupt; she didn't have any time to respond.

Food. She remembered the meal he'd been eating when they'd walked in.

"I'm famished. Let's go grab a bite." It was a statement less than an invitation; it was all she could do to nod numbly. In seconds he was already at the end of the corridor, looking back at her.

"… I haven't had lunch yet, so…"

She whispered the words of her unfinished sentence.

* * *

Dave and RJ walked along the outside of the Trainer's Square. Around them the shops were already bustling, trainers and non-trainers alike swarming the various stores; the area around the Trainer's Square was packed almost to capacity. 

RJ led the way through narrow alleys and past shops which carried signs like

_Event special! Only…_

They passed shops which sold everything ranging from PokéNav plug-ins to dinner. All around them the crowd pushed; the two of them kept a close eye on their Pokéballs for the stray pickpocket. Despite there having only been two cases of Pokémon-snatching in the year, the Elem region was still not entirely safe; moreover, even if they ad just dropped their Pokéballs, it would be impossible to find in the crush.

"Where're we going…?"

RJ turned to him, indicating the crowds of people around the restaurants.

"If we're going to get a seat in _any_ restaurant, I suggest we get away from the Trainer's Square first."

Dave looked around, unsure of where they were.

"Any specific place in mind…?"

A sound, a bit like a laugh; the spiky-haired boy turned around to face him and kept on walking backwards.

"I may know a bit about the Trainer's Square and this city, but I don't _live_ here… in things like shopping and eating I'm just as inexperienced as you."

And then he walked into a bar. Literally.

* * *

The two of them walked along the outer edge of the city, avoiding the crowds which threatened to overflow and flood the banks of… 

_That's not right._

Whatever it was, they were out of the danger zone. The outer ring of the city was entirely clear of buildings; it looked like one giant park. Occasionally a Butterfree would flutter past, or an Oddish or two, perhaps. Large signs around the edge of the park warned of prosecution for any who captured the Pokémon here.

Very few people walked around this part of town. It was mostly the elderly taking strolls through the park; the benches were occupied with teenagers who were mostly engaged in some way or other… these, Ash carefully avoided.

"Hey… any idea where we're going…?"

Ash shook his head no.

"Not in the slightest."

Erynn's stomach rumbled again. Ash turned to her, opened his mouth, then closed it and walked on.

"You're being very vague today…"

Ash shrugged it off and kept on walking. Erynn stopped trying to elicit a speech from him and looked around at the buildings that passed them by. All shone in the bright noon light; all looked almost entirely empty.

"Erm Ash…?"

He turned to her and nodded. There was that look in his eyes again.

"These are all office buildings, aren't they?"

Erynn nodded. Slowly she reached into her pocket and took her sunglasses out, putting them on. She wasn't sure if he could read her mind through her eyes or not, but this prediction thing was getting too weird. He spoke again.

"Don't worry… I have an idea where we're going. Here."

At those words, he turned in toward the city. She followed as he walked straight on, through a long stretch of warehouses.

"You sure this is the right way…?"

She stopped as their street met at a crossroads with another street. _There_ was a world of difference. She looked around at the many shops and restaurants which thronged either side of the street. Turning to him, she opened her mouth, closed it again, then opened it once more.

"How did you know where to go…?"

Breaking into a smile, Ash tapped his head.

"It wasn't difficult… in the glass flyover… I noticed this place, and, well…"

She shook her head disbelievingly. When it came to food, his eyes turned into long-range telescopes.

"Figures…" she laughed, a little sheepishly.

"So… exactly what do you want to eat…?"

Erynn just smiled, and pulled Ash along.

Ash's horror at discovering a vegetarian restaurant was only matched by Erynn's delight.

**A/N: Chapter 18 complete! I finally have time to engage in some other activities besides eating, writing and sleeping! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and erm… everything else. **

**And I hope you review and all. Stay tuned for the next chapter; tomorrow! Even I have no idea what it's going to be. **


	19. Eating Habits and Acquaintances

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. My only consolation is you don't, either.**

**Hooray for the weekend! I officially have twelve hours more to finish this! And then I can do other stuff besides.**

**Anyways, thanks for all your reviews… Mes sounds cool, if a little scary. I'm sorry to hear you won't be reviewing for the next two weeks… but have a great holiday, Bigfoot12310! That just means you'll have about 14 chapters to read when you come back. And if WickedWolf09 replies to my message in time I'll be introducing the new OC in this chapter! Considering how I got the character profile at somewhere around 8 pm the last time, however, I doubt it. Whatever it is, I'll begin writing first. This is the 19th chapter of Pokémon Go! I hope you enjoy it.**

He was dragged by the arm into a chair. Looking around, he noticed the room was entirely circular, with just a single door leading out. On the walls hung pictures of disgusting things, oozing green juices… out the window, which led back into the main chamber, he noticed other people, watched helplessly as those same oozing things forced their way down their throats on the long, silver implement… turning back, he gasped in horror as a full-size picture of equally disgusting monstrosities stared him in the face. He opened his mouth to scream as it grew closer…

"Would you like to order, Ash?" Erynn asked, handing him the menu.

Ash shook his head in despair. A vegetarian restaurant; who would've thought it?

"Err… I have no idea."

He looked down the menu, the names of foods unfamiliar to him jumping out from it. Erynn watched his indecision for a moment, and then sighed, taking the menu from him.

"I don't believe this… here. Take a look at this page."

She flipped the pages of the menu and stopped at one of them, pushing it towards him. She'd already made her choice previously.

Ash's eyes widened.

"I thought this was a vegetarian restaurant…?"

Erynn shook her head and pointed to the word

_Mock_

Which was written at the top of the menu.

"Oh."

He looked at the selections, unable to decide between the stuffed Pikachu and the sautéed Clamperl. Finally he turned to the waitress.

"I'll have both, thank you."

* * *

The two of them sat at a table in Oak's, one of the most prolific fast-food chains in the Elem region. Its founder was a certain Samuel Oak, and while the chain had only recently come to the Elem region, it grew to be one of the most popular outlets in a remarkably short time.

RJ chewed on a Spoinkburger™ while Dave stared out the window at the passing clouds.

"Actually, I'm staring at the crowds."

Exactly what I said. The passing crowds.

RJ turned to look at Dave curiously.

"Who're you talking to…?"

Dave snapped out of his trance.

"Wha…? I'm not sure… must've been the PA system…"

RJ shrugged and resumed his eating. Dave looked at the tray between them.

"What's that shiny thing?"

RJ removed the plastic bag from its place in the tray, taking out the shiny orb within.

"Oh… this? Comes with every Extra Value Meal. It's a Spoink orb."

Dave looked at it askance. Palladium was probably one of the only places without an Oak's.

"And… what do you do with those…?"

RJ shrugged.

"Just about anything, I guess. I've gotten a limited edition gold one I'm keeping."

Dave mulled on the idea for a full second, then shrugged it off and began to eat his own Corphish Salad.

"Hey… this isn't half bad…"

RJ nodded.

"It's also very expensive. You'll be running out of money pretty quickly if you keep eating this way."

Dave shook his head no, while continuing to eat the salad. Swallowing, he spoke.

"The money we earn on our battles should entitle us to at least some form of respite, though, doesn't it…?"

RJ finished with his Spoinkburger, shrugging as he dumped the wrapper into a nearby bin.

"I guess it does… hey, want to buy another EVM? I've decided to start collecting."

Dave shook his head.

"Just like that? And anyway, I think it's time to get back to the Square."

Standing up, he waited as RJ did the same, pocketing the Spoink orb.

"A collection's always got to start somewhere… and… oh fine; let's get back."

* * *

Ash was impressed.

"If I didn't know this was a vegetarian restaurant, I'd swear this was the real deal…"

Erynn lunched contentedly on her meal, trying not to look at the food on Ash's side of the table. While she was glad he wasn't eating meat, she never _could_ get used to the sight of mock meat; even if it only slightly resembled the Pokémon it was meant to be.

"…?"

She looked up as Ash began to make strange gagging noises, making her wonder about the effectuality of back-thumping. Before she'd made up her mind on what to do, though, he'd swallowed the piece of mock meat. Making a face, he swigged a mouthful of orange juice.

"The texture is all… wrong!"

She sighed. She should've known it wouldn't have been so easy. To a food lover like him, eating any mock food would simply go the wrong way.

She pushed her bowl over to him.

"Here. Try this."

It wasn't that Ash hated vegetables. In fact, he really didn't mind them much. The main problem was the way they were presented. The vegetables didn't look like vegetables anymore; the life-essence of a chef had turned them into works of art. Works of art which he had no way of appreciating.

"Whatever that is, I'm not eating it."

"Oh for crying out loud…" but then she paused, unsure of what it was called herself.

"It's…" she squinted at the unpronounceable name on the menu, then pointed to it.

"This."

Ash rolled his eyes.

"It doesn't look very edible to me…"

Erynn put her sunglasses on again.

"Fine. Close your eyes."

Ash cringed, but didn't back down.

"Close. Your. Eyes."

She began to get out of her chair. Ash closed his eyes.

"Now… take a bite."

Ash reached for the bowl, but couldn't quite find it.

"For Jirachi's sake…" she got out of her chair and put the bowl in front of him, spearing a mess of salad with the fork.

"Now eat."

Ash held the fork, but no more. Exasperated, she took the fork from his hands and stood behind him.

"Open your mouth."

Ash kept his lips shut as she gently nudged against them with the fork. She sighed in wonder at his childishness.

"Open it…!"

He shook his head.

"Before I get Griven."

He opened his mouth. The instant he felt the pressure on his tongue he shut it again.

"It's awful!" he gagged, spitting it out of his mouth.

"Ash… that was a fly."

The fly flew, dazed, out of a cross-dimensional warp and disappeared. Ash gagged again, and opened his mouth.

"Look, Erynn, I'm not going to eat that and you ca—"

He realized that her face was mere inches from him. How it happened, he didn't know. Of course, that wasn't what had stopped him from speaking. The fork had been shoved firmly in his mouth.

"Now, chew."

Reluctantly, Ash chewed. She removed the fork and smiled, humming a happy note. Ash rolled his eyes again.

"How does it taste?"

Ash wanted to spit it out, but he couldn't. It really _did_ taste quite good.

"Better than the mock Pikachu, anyway," he mumbled.

* * *

They stepped back up onto the platforms.

"This is getting all too familiar now…"

RJ glanced at Dave as he made this remark, and then turned back to the arena.

"Espeon and Machop… I'd say we have a fairly decent combination…"

Dave swore.

"Not against _that_ we don't…"

A Misdreavus. The Ghost Pokémon floated in the air, its presence ominous. The other Pokémon was far smaller; it hovered a few inches above the ground, covered entirely in the shadow of the ruins which were their battlefield. It glowed with a white, iridescent light.

Curious, RJ and Dave simultaneously flipped their PokéNavs open; since they spoke in different voices the author decided to use a textbook description instead.

_Cefira, the Dark Star Pokémon. A recently discovered Pokémon native to the Elem region, it has been said to be the counterpart to the Pokémon Cleffa. In light, nothing can be seen of it but shadow. In darkness, the reverse is true. Evolutionary stages are currently unknown, possibly non-existent._

"What now…?"

Dave shrugged.

"We'll have to wing it, I'm guessing."

RJ nodded.

"Dave, it's been a pleasure."

Dave did a double take.

"Sheesh… it's not like we're dying or anything…"

"I just always wanted to say that…"

* * *

Erynn's eyes twinkled with a spark visible even behind her sunglasses.

"I told you it wasn't bad…"

Ash slowly chewed on his second bite of This. It wasn't that he found it difficult to eat, but the proximity of Erynn to himself was a little too close for his liking. Tentatively he eased himself back in his chair.

"Erynn… you know I _can_ eat by myself…"

At that, Erynn stopped, subsequently dropping the fork and practically running back to her side of the table.

_Amazing how some people can run in such a small room._

Incidentally, of course, she crashed into a wall, but without much harm being done.

"Go… gomenasai…"

Ash stared blankly. Her face was a tad red, he saw now. It came out clearer because her normal skin colour came up very clearly against her clothes.

"Ugh… sorry…"

Ash picked the fork up and put it back in the bowl again.

"When did you learn to speak Japanese…?"

Erynn shook her head to clear it of the dizziness.

"What Japanese?"

She looked utterly confused. Ash slapped his forehead.

"No… nothing. Don't worry about it…"

She got into her chair. He continued eating the salad. As he ate, though, he became aware of a pair of eyes watching him. Looking up, he stared her in the eye.

"Aren't you going to get anything else for yourself, then?"

She hesitated, and then shook her head no.

"I'm full, thanks."

He had no idea what to say; now he'd eaten her lunch as well.

"Fine… I'm full as well. Let's go."

He stood up, donning his OPL jacket again. Erynn was still confused.

"Go…? Go where?"

Ash lifted his jacket to reveal an empty belt.

"Two choices. Return to the PokéCentre and let me get my Pokémon, or… whatever. I have no idea."

Erynn caught the look in his eyes this time. She smiled.

"Not shopping. I promise."

He nodded.

* * *

"Dodge it, quick!"

In response to RJ's cry, Machop ran to the left, heading for the shelter of an abandoned structure. Its stone might not have been incredibly durable, but it would hold for a few attacks. The Psywave it dodged went whizzing past, impacting a few feet from the audience.

"That one missed… but just barely."

On the other side of the battlefield, the Cefira dodged in and out of the shadows, playing a deadly game of tag with Espeon.

"Shadow Ball, Cefira…"

A lightning-swift missile made of pure darkness hurtled toward Espeon.

"Espeon! Dodge it with a Quick Attack!"

The lavender feline was a blur as she raced toward her target; unfortunately, her target moved just as quickly; as it dodged each attack with grace, it faded in and out with the lights and shadows.

"Now… Faint Attack…"

Espeon only had a moment as the Cefira materialized in front of her again; a flash of dazzling light. Then she was hit back into the wall for the second time.

"Ugh… Espeon! Get up…!"

"Machop! Help Espeon…!"

Before RJ could finish his sentence, Misdreavus had materialized through the wall.

"Holy…"

The Psywave impacted. Machop was blown through the wall, landing on the ground a few feet away.

"Espeon! Use Confusion on Misdreavus!"

The ruby on Espeon's head glowed as she intensified her concentration. The Ghost Pokémon stopped in its tracks, allowing Machop a chance to escape. But the respite was short lived; Misdreavus shuddered, and broke the psychic control, sending part of the attack back toward Espeon.

"Machop! Counter!"

Espeon turned to see Machop in front of her, the Shadow Ball attack stopped in his palms; the Shadow Ball that had been meant for her.

"Now! Machop, release the attack at Misdreavus!"

With a grunt, Machop turned, releasing the full force of the attack on a surprised Misdreavus.

"Heh… whaddya say, Dave…? Time to give these guys a taste of their own medicine?"

Dave smiled back.

"Definitely. But if I were you, I'd lose those clichéd lines."

* * *

Erynn and Ash stepped out of the room. When Ash had first entered the place, he'd found it surprising that it was so popular. Now, leaving, he was less surprised, but equally wondrous that so many people would rather do without meat.

_Where do they get their Proteins and things then…?_

Musing, he thought that might've been why Pokémon dietary supplements were so expensive in other regions. He'd heard that in most of the other regions, entire societies never ate any meat.

_And I never believed it possible…_

Suddenly, Erynn pressed her nose against one of the other glass-paneled doors which lined the corridor. Ash looked in as well.

"That's her!"

The first thing he noticed was that the room only had a single occupant. Two, if you counted the Manetric which stood by her. She sat there, absent-mindedly picking at her food as the pencil she held in her hands flew over a sketchbook placed on the table. She was about their age; while Ash was inclined to say she was younger than he was, she seemed to be about his height.

Her hair was about a little longer than Erynn's, he noticed, but it was difficult to tell, the way she'd tied it up and all. She was wearing a red and white hoodie; the colour almost identical to that on a Pokéball. Jeans and sneakers completed the outfit.

"… She a friend of yours…?" Ash said after waiting a minute without Erynn saying anything.

Erynn looked away from the window.

"No… I just saw her in a Pokémon Battle at Trainer's Square a while ago… she was really good, too."

Ash sighed.

"Is that all, then?"

He pushed the door open.

"After you."

The girl in the room looked startled to see them; in a single movement she'd swept the sketchbook out of sight. The three of them just looked at each other, unsure of what to say. Finally, when an introduction wasn't forthcoming from either of them, the girl spoke.

"Umm… hello."

The room maintained its deathly silence, except for Ash, who was being mauled by the Manetric. Erynn looked between Ash and the red-haired girl, unsure of what to say.

"Leon… please get off of him."

The Manetric backed off, allowing Ash to reclaim what little dignity he had left.

"So…" he began, prompting Erynn to continue.

"I just wanted to say that I saw you battling in Trainer's Square today, and it was really cool…"

All the while, she kept her eyes on the Manetric in the background, a tad uneasily. The girl smiled.

"Don't worry… Leon won't eat you… yet."

It was hardly the most reassuring thing to say.

She stood from her unfinished meal, hastily packing her sketchbook and stationery into a sling bag. Hesitantly, she proffered a hand to Erynn, who took it in relief.

"My name's Michelle Smith…"

"And mine's Erynn Fyrre."

Michelle tilted her head to a side, appraising her.

"Then… the Rubidium Gym leader… Seryn Fyrre; you're her sister?"

Erynn nodded.

"Younger sister. Nice to meet you, Michelle."

Michelle smiled. Her green eyes met Erynn's violet ones.

"Likewise."

**A/N: This chapter is now officially done! Forty-one minutes over the deadline, but I'm not picky.**

**Anyways, the reason this story took so long wasn't because of WickedWolf09's answering my question, but because I got back to playing a certain online game…**

**But whatever it is, that's only short-term. I hope to continue this chapter for another 300 chapters… so I might finish a year.**

**Oh… and I got a concept… I'd like to post a birthday chapter for each OC submitted so far… if you'd like your OC to be involved, and his/her birthday hasn't passed yet, please tell me the birth date; I'm planning to write it on the day itself… but please don't tell me it'll be tomorrow; It'd be too sudden for me to cope.**

**Either way, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter; it's a tad short considering the time I had to finish it, but it's leaving it at a lot of cliffs, I guess. Not the extra-suspenseful cliffs, but I hope you're just as anxious to find out what happens as I am.**

**So… once again, thanks for reading, and please review!**


	20. Trainer's Square: Dave and RJ

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. I wish you did, because then I could buy it from you. Then again I probably don't have the money.**

**Second picture up… finished my quick sketch of Ash… not sure about it, but I can't be bothered to try again.**

**As again, thanks for everyone's reviews; Tyrannosaurus Cerato, sure you can send me anymore information you have… would help with me finding a place to introduce the character; and anyone who has any last-minute additions to their own OCs might do so too, before I screw them up. If I write them too OoC (Out of Character) feel free to pm me, or contact me via email. In case you can't be bothered to check, you can find me at thanks for the birthday submission, WickedWolf09. If anyone else wishes to submit their birthdates and all, just bring it on.**

**Clarification about _Oak's_; Samuel Oak is officially dead. He's like Colonel Sanders of KFC. Oak's has been around for a pretty long time in the other regions, though.**

**And now, on to the _next_ chapter of Pokémon Go! I actually had the whole of Sunday to write this, but unforeseen outings have left me just a few hours more… so… Chapter 20! Hope you enjoy it!**

The Misdreavus was hit full in the face with the amplified Shadow Ball attack, which sent it crashing through two walls before coming to a halt. When it rose, it rose sluggishly; the attack had obviously taken a lot out of it.

Espeon staggered to her feet. Machop had spared her the finishing blow, but she wasn't anywhere near battle-ready.

"RJ… I'll need you to keep the two of them busy…"

He nodded.

"Understood. Machop; attack Cefira!"

The battle had turned pretty much one on one. As Misdreavus and Espeon recuperated, Machop and Cefira kept each other busy.

"Faint Attack, Cefira…"

The only sign that the Pokémon was a mere foot from Machop was its shadow on the ground.

"Machop, focus and Counter!"

In a swift movement, Machop raised his arm to parry the attack, wrapping his fingers around the form; shifting his feet, he pulled the invisible Pokémon into the shadow, revealing its presence.

"Minimize…"

Machop slammed his free fist into empty air as the creature slunk out of his grasp.

"Ugh…"

In the next moment Machop had been sent flying back. Amazingly, it recovered, pushing itself against the wall and flying back, delivering a glancing Karate Chop to the tiny figure, sending it flying toward a wall as well.

"… Cefira… Mirrorswap, now."

In an instant, the shimmering white spark blinked out. Confused, RJ and Dave watched in amazement as it was replaced by Espeon; looking over, they noticed that the spot which Espeon had laid in was now occupied by the same bright, dancing spark.

"Oh… no."

"Machop! Counter Espeon's flight!"

With incredible speed, Machop managed to get between Espeon and the wall, managing to cushion the impact with his palms.

"How does it do that…?" Dave flipped his PokéNav open again, checking the PokéDex.

_Mirrorswap. This ability has only been seen present in the Pokémon Cefira. While this Pokémon is in shadow, it may switch places with another Pokémon in shadow, no matter whether friend or foe._

RJ turned to Dave.

"Just keep Espeon in the light; that should be alright…"

Dave nodded, relaying the order to Espeon.

"Now, Machop…? Dodge that!"

Just in time, Machop dove out of another Psywave. Misdreavus was back, and while a trifle exhausted, was still battle-ready.

"Two against one…? That's less than fair…"

Dave turned to RJ, who was, for once, fresh out of ideas.

"I think I've got a plan… but it's more than a bit risky…"

* * *

"Erm… Michelle?"

The red-haired girl was taller than she was; a fact that made Erynn more than a little worried.

"You don't happen to… I mean, when… how old are you…?"

Michelle looked at her askance, unsure of whether; how to respond.

"I'm… 14," she said, noting the look in her eyes; "I'll be 15 in August."

Ash tried hard not to laugh as Erynn looked downcast. Michelle turned to him.

"And you?"

He wondered if it'd be a good idea to walk up and shake her hand, but the thought of the Manetric made the idea of talking over a distance more appealing.

"I'm Ash… Ash Vortnes."

She approached him, her Manectric Leon following behind. With every step she took, Ash backed away, until she had him up against a wall. She smiled, amused.

"A pleasure, I'm sure. Leon sends his regards."

This time it was Erynn's turn to laugh. Michelle walked back to her seat, turning to face the two of them.

"So…"

The room was suddenly deathly quiet. No one knew quite what to say.

"Have you all eaten yet…?"

Hers was an attempt at breaking the silence, but…

"We sorta have…"

Ash sighed.

"Erynn hasn't."

Erynn opened her mouth to protest, but then shut it again.

"I ate your portion, remember?"

Michelle looked between the two of them.

"You're welcome to join me if you like…"

Ash shot Erynn a look, trying to smile reassuringly at her.

"She… we'd be happy to."

The three of them sat at the table, Erynn and Ash pointedly avoiding the overly-protective Leon. Ringing for a waiter, Erynn tried to start a conversation.

"So… what're you eating?"

Ash sighed; a bad first question. But Michelle merely shrugged.

"I've no idea. The recipe looks like it was written with Pidgey-feet dipped in ink."

At this, Erynn and Ash laughed.

"Hear, hear."

It was Ash's turn to try now.

"Hey… from one trainer to another… what Pokémon do you have?"

Michelle looked up from her food.

"You mean, besides Leon here?"

Ash cringed a little, nodding.

"Well… I've got a Jolteon…" she said, detaching the respective Pokéball from her belt, "and a Houndour."

"No nicknames?" Erynn asked.

Michelle shook her head no. "Leon's the only one with a nickname… and what about the two of you?"

Erynn spoke first.

"There's Griven… my Growlithe, then there's my Magikarp and Abra… and Oddish, who I recently caught."

_Neglecting to mention she's never used either Magikarp _or_ Abra in a single Pokémon battle…_

The waiter arrived. Erynn placed her order and turned back to Michelle, who had just pointed out that Ash was without a Pokémon.

"Ditto's still asleep back at the PokéCentre. Other than Ditto I've just got a Hoppip, but all he does is sleep."

Michelle looked at him a tad skeptically.

"That's fairly interesting. Of course, I wouldn't normally leave my Pokémon in a PokéCentre… there's always a possibility that thieves might ransack your room, steal your Pokémon, then escape setting fire to the PokéCentre. Imagine; a few years down the road they might be slaves starved past emaciation, working for nothing under the whip."

Ash blinked.

"Isn't that a little… exaggerated…?" Erynn cut in, a little worried.

Michelle looked at her innocently.

"Oh… not at all. It _could_ happen, you know."

Ash rolled his eyes.

"If you say so…" he trailed off as Leon growled at him.

Michelle broke the conversation off as she began to turn and talk to Leon. Erynn's meal arrived and she began on it again.

"So…" Michelle began again, "are the two of you travelling together?"

The two of them looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

"We are… sorta… I'm stuck with her because…"

"My sister Seryn told me I could go on my own journey so long as he came along with me."

"That's the one."

Michelle looked each of them in the eye before replying.

"You could just have said yes…"

Somehow they'd felt it necessary… Erynn chewed on her food slowly, while Ash stayed silent for awhile. He opened his mouth, shut it again, and then spoke once more.

"So… how many badges do you have now…?"

Michelle rummaged in her sling bag for awhile before removing two badges from it.

"That's…"

"The Synchro Badge… yes. Fortunately I survived the battle, which is more than I can say for those who lose these Gym battles. They could get their Pokémon mauled beyond recognition, have them confined to a life of paralysis only ended by death, or perhaps even…"

Erynn folded her arms across her chest.

"My sister's a Gym Leader."

Michelle's mouth stopped moving, forming a large O.

"Yeah… but just because it hasn't happened with your sister, doesn't mean it can't happen somewhere else."

Ash was starting to feel a tad uncomfortable.

"Are you always so… negative?"

She stroked Leon with her free hand, the other forking salad into her mouth.

"I wouldn't call it negative," she said between mouthfuls, "it's more like… well-maintained objectivity."

Ash made a strange sound; it sounded a bit like choking, only he wasn't, really. Michelle stared.

"Is he alright?"

Erynn tried to hide a grin, nodding as she swallowed her forkful of tofu.

"Don't worry… he's always like that."

* * *

RJ did a double-take.

"You can't be serious…"

Dave watched the battle anxiously; he called out a command and turned back to RJ.

"It _could_ work, you know."

"Yes… I know, but…"

"We don't have time! Now!"

Machop dodged another Psywave, watched as another Shadow Ball impacted with the wall just a few metres from him. Their attacks were concentrating on him now; Espeon was less of a threat to them.

"Fine…"

RJ sighed resignedly. Dave nodded.

"Let's do this…"

"Machop… use Karate Chop on the wall!"

Machop looked uncertainly at RJ, who nodded.

"_If you say so…"_

In a single attack, the wall had cracked; Machop leapt lightly out of the way as it crumbled. Dave watched in anticipation, nodding to RJ as he prepared his own move.

_Espeon… listen to me…_

Espeon pricked her ears up, turning to Dave.

"Machop; now use Seismic Toss!"

Dave watched in anticipation as Machop flung a large fragment of the wall at the Cefira, who still hung in the shadows.

_Now! Espeon… move into the shadows as well._

Espeon held her ground; she knew the feeling of Mirrorswap, and once was plenty enough.

_You've got to listen… trust me, just this once. I want to win this as much as you…_

The rock hurtled ever closer toward Cefira.

Espeon stepped into the shadows.

"Now… Cefira; Mirrorswap again."

Once more, the two Pokémon disappeared in a flash of light.

"Now; Machop!"

The instant before the Dark Star Pokémon appeared, Machop released the attack it had been focusing.

"Karate Chop, one more time!"

The Dark-type Pokémon was slammed into the ground by the power of the attack. Dave watched with bated breath as the rock hurtled toward Espeon. If he'd mistimed it, they might lose the battle after all…

_Espeon… just a bit of your strength…_

Getting to her feet, Espeon's ruby glowed dimly. The rock glowed with a purple aura, slowing down a bit. But Espeon's power wasn't anywhere near recovered. The psychic control faltered and died. Dave gritted his teeth as the projectile flew closer… and closer… before landing, skipping, and grinding to a halt.

Mercifully, the rock stopped just inches from Espeon.

Misdreavus took advantage the opportunity to launch a Psywave attack at Machop; it hit home, sending Machop flying sideways. RJ cursed.

"Man… Machop get up!"

Machop got to his feet, albeit more than a little injured. Looking up, RJ read the display board with more than a little trepidation. While the Cefira was down for the count, Machop, Espeon and Misdreavus were all in critical condition.

"The next Pokémon that gets hit… it's a Sudden Death…" he murmured.

Dave nodded grimly.

"Machop can't do a thing in this situation… let Espeon handle it."

RJ relented; he was right.

"I'll be waiting in the wings to assist…"

Without warning, Misdreavus flew in on the two Pokémon.

"Scatter!"

Obediently, Machop and Espeon split off in different directions. Seeming to identify the biggest threat, Misdreavus turned to follow Espeon, who was slowed by its injuries.

"Machop… help Espeon…!"

Neither trainer nor Pokémon was quite sure how to do it; Machop watched as Espeon led Misdreavus around the ruined buildings; Misdreavus was steadily gaining.

"It's going to use Astonish… Espeon; duck!"

With amazing alacrity, Espeon stopped dead in its tracks, sending Misdreavus careening off course.

"Now… Confusion attack!"

Focusing, the red ruby on Espeon's head began to glow. The attack was far too weak to overcome Misdreavus's natural psychic resistance; unless it had time to charge.

Misdreavus seemed to recognize this weakness. Unfortunately, its trainer did, too.

"Misdreavus; use a Confuse Ray."

RJ slammed his fist on the glass in front of him.

"Machop! Disrupt the ray with a Seismic Toss!"

Again, Machop flung a large rock at Misdreavus, with deadly precision. While the Pokémon was unfazed, its Confuse Ray attack was entirely nullified; the ray had been successfully blocked by the rock.

"Tch… I never though I'd have to use this but… Destiny Bond."

The weakened Misdreavus flew through the air; its eyes glowed a brilliant white, and then it was gone.

"What…? Where's it…! Espeon; hold your attack!"

RJ pressed his nose to the glass.

"It's in Machop!"

The Ghost-Pokémon had somehow succeeded in entering the same body as Machop. The trainer across them smiled wickedly.

"It's all up to you…"

The two trainers looked at each other.

"Fine… Espeon; now!"

Espeon looked at Dave, who nodded at her one last time. Then she fired her Psychic attack.

At the last moment, the Misdreavus left the body of Machop. RJ pounded the glass wall again.

"No!"

But the cry was short-lived. The shout died on RJ's lips as he watched the limp body fall to the ground.

Misdreavus had been knocked out.

"What the…?"

Dave smiled as the familiar green light washed over their heads again.

"You didn't think I'd fall for _that_ trick, did you?"

RJ broke into a grin as the other team left the arena, disgusted.

"Well-played, my friend; well-played."

"Oh stop it with the clichés already," Dave moaned.

* * *

"Where're you guys heading to past this point…?"

Michelle asked the question with just an inkling of interest. Ash sighed.

"Well… the Fluoride Gym opens tomorrow; we weren't in time to get our Gym Battle when we first came on Friday."

Michelle looked between the two of them.

"Well… I guess I can wait until Monday…" she mused.

"Till Monday…? What, you mean…" Erynn was pretty surprised at that.

The redhead nodded.

"Yeah; why not? After all, besides the off-chance that we may all perish heroically in some natural disaster, or have our bones crushed to splinters by some enemy organization you're secretly on the run from, there can't be any harm in tagging along, now can there?"

Ash decided to reserve his comments. After all, who could argue with the Spark of a Manectric?

**A/N: Oh well. The next chapter of Pokémon Go! is finally done! While I'm (apparently) having some trouble managing my time, I hope you all still managed to enjoy this chapter.**

**I've no idea what the next chapter's going to be like, but if my parents have it their way, I might be updating a little slower… like that'll stop me though.**

**Interestingly, this seems to be one of the few things I still do responsibly, so… Pokémon Go, onward ho! Stay tuned for Chapter 21!**


	21. Another Battle Begins!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. I also do not own the spare time I have to write this story. That's technically property of the projects I have to do. But haven't. So there.**

**Whatever-ish. Sorry if the last part sorta made it confusing, R'N'Rer… hope the PM's cleared it up. I've never been to Toronto; in fact, I've never been to America (North and South both) at all. Or Africa, for that matter; but either way, I hope you're having a good time. Tyrannosaurus Cerato; received your PM. Thanks for the info.**

**Thanks for the character submission; VampireWizard. If the Smoke Gym is going to be a part of the Elem region, I thank you for your gym submission as well. I'll definitely try to use it; but the thing about Gym Leaders is they don't normally resign. How did Brock do it again? Well I'll try and see what I can do about it, anyhow. I've already planned the next two gyms out though, so Siomo might come in only a _bit_ later on.**

**Whatever it is, I've spent long enough on my notes already. Thanks for everyone's reviews to date, and hope you'll keep on reading my future chapters of Pokémon Go!**

**P.S. if you want to give me a break from writing everyday though, just stop reviewing. If no one reviews, I won't be obliged to write. Of course that's the lazy me speaking. Keep those reviews coming; I love this job! Pokémon Go! chapter 21, here!**

The Pokémon Centre wasn't as busy now; most of the trainers who came to participate didn't bother going the whole day. Much of the human traffic present in the City were hanging around the shopping districts, anyway.

Dave received his Pokéballs from Nurse Joy gratefully, immediately letting Espeon out of her prison. He walked over to RJ, who sat on the leather couch, drumming a tattoo on his own Pokéball.

"That… was a close fight. Nice work, partner."

RJ looked up at him, smiling slightly.

"You too; the attack you pulled off at the end really was quite extraordinary. You even had me wondering there a second."

Dave sat down beside him, grinning. The grin faded somewhat when he saw the two men who had been their opponents retrieving their Pokéballs from the counter as well.

"Don't look now…" he murmured to RJ.

The boy nodded; he ducked his head, hoping the two of them wouldn't notice his spiky black hair. It wasn't that the two of them were frightened of them… but there was just something about their all-black ensemble, their excessive eye-shadow; which seemed a little too unnatural.

"They look evil…" RJ murmured.

Dave watched them silently. "Yeah, but also really cool."

The two trainers silently walked out of the centre, Dave and RJ heaving twin sighs of relief as the sliding doors hissed closed behind them. Then they looked around the centre, unsure of what next to do.

"What do we do now, then…?" Dave wondered.

RJ shrugged. By late afternoon, the beginners would almost all be gone; only the stronger trainers would still be battling.

"We could always go spectate…"

Dave shook his head.

"That's no fun at all. What else do you know about this city?"

RJ turned to him.

"We've still got a few hours… we could visit Lake Baria if you haven't already gone…"

Dave broke into a grin.

"Now _that_, I call a plan."

Checking his Pokémon one more time, RJ stood up.

"It's decided, then."

Dave nodded, rising with him… and rising… and rising…

"Holy… Espeon! Put me down!"

The red ruby on her head flashed once as Dave fell to the ground.

"Yep… you're definitely alright again…"

* * *

Ash sighed, feeling more than a little miserable. He was stuck with two vegan girls and an overly-protective Manectric, in an unknown city without a meal. It was lucky Ditto wasn't here, he reflected.

_Or I'd probably be driven insane already._

The sun beat down mercilessly on their heads as they stepped out from beneath the shelter of the taller buildings. There were far fewer people here; Ash looked around, wondering if he'd made a wrong turn.

Michelle stopped beside him.

"What…?"

Ash looked between the two of them; Erynn and Michelle had been talking about something or other all the while he'd been walking ahead.

"Where are we going, exactly…?"

The two girls exchanged glances. Erynn shrugged.

"We've just been walking randomly all this while, I guess…"

Ash stepped back into the shadow of the building with them. Looking up, he noticed the logo printed across its black-glass exterior.

_Immaterion Corporations_

"Hey… want to head on inside?"

The two of them looked at him as though he was crazy. Not that he wasn't.

"And why would you want to do that? They'd probably do some human testing on you and have you turned into some sort of mutant PokéMorph."

Michelle, of course. Erynn, on the other hand, looked thoughtful.

"What's a PokéMorph…?"

Michelle shrugged.

"Don't know. Just thought of it. Anyways, we're _not_ going in."

Ash sighed; he hadn't really meant it anyway.

"Let's head back to the Pokémon Centre then… which way is it?"

Erynn and Ash looked around, a tad lost. Michelle tilted her head to a side, smiling amusedly.

"In case you're lost, it's in _that_ direction," she pointed, "and… my house is in _that_ direction."

Ash and Erynn stared; they hadn't thought of it before but…

"You live here?"

Michelle shook her head in wonder at how easily they'd come to the conclusion that…

"You thought I'd come from Mars in a spaceship to stop the apocalypse from happening didn't you?" she deadpanned in a voice that sounded entirely serious.

Erynn stared blankly. Ash nodded. Michelle blanched.

**A/N: Hey that sounds like the name of some singer… or something.**

"No. _This_," she said, holding an arm out to the glass-and-marble architecture around them, "is my hometown."

Ash looked slightly disappointed; Erynn slapped him roundly across the head.

"Wha… what happened?" he said, snapping out of it.

"Ash… where's Michelle from again?" Erynn said, a trifle testily.

"She just _said_ she was from Fluoride… didn't you hear her?"

Erynn smiled.

"Fine; lead the way, Michelle."

The redhead looked between the two of them, obviously confused, and then nodded.

"Just don't blame me if we end up lost, starving and dying…"

"Don't worry…"

"We won't."

* * *

RJ jumped up the ledge, looking back at Dave.

"You should get out more."

Dave huffed, climbing up the ledge with a tad more difficulty.

"How much further…?"

RJ grinned.

"We're there."

The lake spread as far as the eye could see; looking towards the horizon, Dave could just see the silhouette of Fluoride's skyscrapers in the light of the setting sun. Scanning the water, Dave noticed blue, round orbs floated along the surface of the lake. RJ followed his gaze and nodded across to him.

"Marill and Azurill are pretty common in these waters, it appears…"

Dave readied a Pokéball in his hand.

"Espeon; use Confusion on that one over there!"

Espeon nodded as the red ruby on her head glinted; an Azurill popped out of the water, squealing. In delight.

Espeon sweatdropped as she set the little creature on the ground. RJ looked from the bouncing Azurill to Dave.

"You going to catch that…?"

Dave nodded.

"I'll just get Rattata to weaken it…"

He released the other Pokémon from his Pokéball.

Rattata materialized from the red immateria that issued from the ball.

"Rattata; attack with Quick Attack!"

Rattata rushed toward the Azurill, knocking it down with a glancing blow. Azurill fell over and began to cry. Dave and RJ looked at each other.

"You can catch it now, I guess…"

Dave nodded, hesitantly throwing the Pokéball at the Pokémon; because of that, it stopped a few feet before it. RJ looked from ball to trainer, askance.

Azurill, on the other hand, stopped crying and stepped forward, its curiosity aroused. In another second there was a flash of red, and Azurill was captured.

"That wasn't exactly the most inspiring Pokémon battle I've seen…"

Dave shrugged.

"You should've seen Ash, then… Either way, it's mine now…"

He tossed the Pokéball in the air and caught it. RJ shook his head in wonder.

"At any rate… there're better Pokémon to be caught here… let's look around a bit."

* * *

Ash retrieved the Pokémon from his room, checking each one for any sign of injury.

"Contrary to popular belief," he intoned, looking at Michelle, "they're entirely unharmed."

Michelle shrugged.

"What can I say? You were lucky."

Ash shrugged, clipping Hoppip's Pokéball to his belt. Ditto yawned and awoke, surprised to see another new arrival.

"_This is happening far too often…"_

It shook its head in wonder, getting to its feet. The Manectric was plainly hostile; Ditto waddled backwards, tripping on itself.

Ash sighed.

"Ditto, meet Michelle and her Manectric, Leon. Michelle, this is Ditto."

The girl watched Ditto; clearly amused.

"You mean… you used this single Pokémon to defeat the Rubidium Gym leader…?"

Ash nodded defensively.

"Ditto's a good Pokémon…!"

Michelle smiled and shrugged.

"I don't doubt it. What would you say, though… if I were to challenge you…?"

He looked uncertain, watching Leon growl at Ditto, forcing it into potato-mode.

Michelle stared blankly a moment, then laughed.

"Fine… I won't use Leon… that'll probably reduce the chance of Ditto becoming a cripple and having to be sent back here in tiny blobs. Not that that's bad."

Ash's eyes widened, a tad alarmed.

"I…"

Erynn nudged him in the back. Painfully.

"Fine… I'll play."

Both girls smiled. Ditto sighed and shook its head.

"_He's asking for trouble… getting down to this…"

* * *

_

The two trainers stood opposite one another, Erynn watching to a side. The battle was situated on the outskirts of the city, in the outer ring that was the park.

Ditto stood, facing Michelle's Houndour.

"Ditto; we ready to go?"

Ditto turned and nodded, still a tad unsure.

"_Becoming a cripple…? I sure hope he knows what he's doing…"_

"You ready…? Houndour! Use Smog!"

Caught off-guard, Ditto didn't have any chance. Choking, it stumbled out of the smoke cloud.

"Ditto; Supersonic!"

Ditto nodded, transforming through the fog. Houndour barely had time to dodge as Zubat flew into him. Ash nodded; Zubat wasn't affected by the poison _or_ the smoke.

"Houndour! Fire an Ember attack at Zubat!"

"Ditto; counter it with a Bubblebeam attack!"

The two attacks collided, creating a large amount of steam.

As the smoke cleared, the two Pokémon reappeared; neither showed any sign of being damaged. Azumarill's form faded as Ditto transformed back into its original shape.

"Dittos can do… that?"

Ash grinned and nodded.

"Now… take the attack home with a Triple Kick!"

Ditto jumped into the air, transforming into Hitmontop just inches from Houndour's face. The first kick connected, the second…

"Faint Attack!"

The third kick swung through empty space as Houndour materialized behind Ditto.

"Watch out…!"

Too late, Ditto turned to be slammed into a tree by the attack.

"Ugh…"

Michelle smiled from across the field.

"Nice attack…"

"Likewise…"

**A/N: I've got to go off to a meeting for a project, so I'm afraid I'll have to end it here; and yes I realized the correct spelling of Manectric was… that… so I'll be changing them in a while… but for now I've got to go so… hope you enjoyed reading this and please review!**


	22. Put in His Place

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. I've said this enough, haven't I?**

**Thanks for the reviews! Just came back from third language again; so I won't stop to talk too much… just… thanks for the reviews; and if I've made any mistakes please feel free to point them out… I'm still not sure I haven't; I've been rush-rush-rushing for a while now.**

**Anyways, I do hope you all enjoy this chapter; I've not much of an idea how anything's turning out, so watch out! Pokémon Go, chapter 22!**

Ash grimaced as the dust cleared again; fang struck fang as both Pokémon disengaged.

"Ash… you're not doing justice to Griven one bit!"

Erynn was more than a little indignant as Ditto-Growlithe whirled in mid-air.

"Ditto; bring it home with a Fury Attack!"

Nodding, Ditto was off the ground the moment it touched it; sweeping into the air on Farfetch'd wings, it sped in the direction of the Houndour. Ash turned to Erynn and stuck his tongue out. Pointedly, she ignored him.

"Dodge it and Smog, Houndour…!"

The black dog skipped out of the way, spewing noxious fumes as Farfetch'd attempted to follow it.

"Ditto; Gust the Smog away!"

Ditto complied, its wings flapping hard as it blew the dark fumes out of the way.

_Wha…?_

Ditto crashed to the ground, the fumes diffusing into the wind.

"Was that a Faint Attack again…?" Ash's voice was almost bored, but there was a certain tension behind it.

Michelle shrugged, smiling without looking up. She had sit down on a rock, and her pencil was now flying over her sketchbook again.

"Fine… Ditto; try a Flash attack!"

Calmly, Erynn reached into her pocket and put her shades on. Ash took refuge under his jacket. Michelle looked up, a tad alarmed.

"Houndour… Smog!"

The attack just managed to keep Michelle from the worst of it, but Houndour was less lucky. The white Tangela bounced up and down.

"Save the victory dance for later; use a Bubblebeam before it recovers!"

The girl put her sketchbook down.

"Houndour; Odor Sleuth… dodge to your right!"

The Dark Pokémon shrugged off the shock of the temporary blindness; skipping to a side as the intense stream of bubbles crashed against the ground to its left. Ash cursed.

_That doesn't work either…_

Michelle had taken the book in her hands again. She didn't even have to look up as she spoke her next command.

"Faint Attack one more time, Houndour…"

The Pokémon faded away, appearing directly in front of Azumarill-Ditto.

"Counter!"

Houndour's jaws closed in on Ditto as it turned white, shifting forms again. A second before the jaws slammed shut, the attack was brought to an abrupt stop as the lightning-swift kicks of a Hitmontop completely canceled any momentum it had held.

Using the Houndour's jaw as a boost to execute a swift scissors-kick, Hitmontop sought to send the Pokémon flying.

"Put a stop to their plans with an Ember…" Michelle seemed almost entirely focused on her drawing, her eyes focused on the battle, but without seeming to have any real interest in the fighting.

With a howl, Houndour released a burst of flame, singing Hitmontop-Ditto's leg before being kicked in the side of the head. Flying a few metres across the field, Houndour recovered well, landing lightly on its feet and pouncing back into the fray.

"Triple Kick, Ditto!"

"Faint Attack, Houndour!"

The two trainers called their attacks out simultaneously; all three trainers watched expectantly as the two Pokémon engaged in mid-air. Hitmontop's first kick struck empty air as Houndour faded in once more, the attack familiar in its warning.

The second kick missed Houndour by inches as it faded in behind Hitmontop; while the Fighting Pokémon had predicted the Pokémon's appearance, it hadn't been able to accurately judge the attack.

In a single rush, Houndour slammed into Hitmontop, knocking the breath out of Ditto as it fell to the ground, regaining its pink colour.

"Ugh… Ditto; you alright?"

Ditto got up, nodding across to Ash. Michelle flipped a page of her sketchbook, looking up at Ash as she did.

"You don't have to go through this if you don't want to…" she said half-heartedly.

Ash glanced at Erynn, who innocently looked elsewhere.

"… This really _is_ just meant to be some sort of punishment, isn't it?"

Michelle laughed.

"Don't make me laugh… oh; too late. Why would I want to inflict _any_ sort of punishment on you? The trials of a Pokémon Trainer are arduous enough without me having to add in broken bones, a few severe burns, poisoning, and eventual death to the equation…"

Ash shrugged, looking between Erynn and Michelle.

_They've definitely been up to something…_

"Whatever it is, I'm not quitting; your Houndour may be stronger than my Ditto, but we've got… _something_ on our side, anyways."

Ditto turned and frowned at Ash.

"_Something…? He's got _me_, and I'm way more than just something…!"_

Ash rolled his eyes, seeing the expression on Ditto's face.

"Sure, Ditto; I meant, besides you."

Michelle looked back down at her sketchbook, beginning to sketch a few lines on the new page.

"If you're sure then… Houndour let's get back into it…"

"Ditto; we can win this!"

Erynn rolled her eyes at the melodramatic enthusiasm Ash displayed. She didn't doubt his ability… but there _was_ a difference between the two trainers in front of her…

"And it's fine time he saw it…"

* * *

RJ turned and motioned to Dave.

"Come on… over here…"

They had been travelling alongside the lake's bank for a while when RJ had finally found the tunnel marked on the Trainer's Handbook.

"Apparently this tunnel goes _under_ the lake… according to this, there are a few rarer Pokémon down there."

Dave looked down the shaft, trying to see through the darkness. RJ turned to the lake one more time.

"Going down into the mountain, eh…? I wonder just how… safe this all is…"

Dave turned to him and allowed himself a small grin.

"You scared?"

RJ laughed, releasing Machop from his Pokéball.

"No way. Let's go."

Dave nodded, then turned to Espeon.

"You know the drill; lead the way… and please, no funny stuff."

Espeon nodded, ready to enter, but at that exact moment a soft murmuring was heard from below. The four of them, Pokémon and Trainers alike, tensed. The red ruby on Espeon's head glowed, and then faded as she relaxed. Seeing this, Dave relaxed as well.

"It's not anything dangerous…"

The murmuring grew louder as the silhouette of two trainers appeared in the dim light of the tunnel. At their feet a Chinchou was hopping, lighting the way up for them. The silhouette finally took form as they stepped into the light; a short boy and a brown-haired girl. Dave instantly recognized the girl as Fior, the girl he'd seen with a Pidgeotto back in Rubidide Forest. The boy he recalled from Mount Lead the day before… his name…

The two parties stopped moving; not that RJ or Dave had even begun to move.

"Hey… you're…"

Dave spoke first, before he was cut off abruptly by Terry.

_Ah yes. His name's Terry._

"Hey aren't you…"

He looked at RJ, askance. It was at this point that Fior jumped in as well.

"I remember you… you're… Dave! Taera and I battled you, didn't we…? Where's Erynn?"

Dave shrugged.

"With Ash, apparently."

Terry thought a moment, then spoke again.

"Ash… wasn't he…?"

Fior nodded.

"That strange boy… he's from Palladium as well…"

RJ was beginning to feel left out. Clearing his throat to speak, he paused in confusion as Terry handed him a throat lozenge.

"Oh… kay…" he intoned, accepting it with unease, "I was just wondering… did you find any cool Pokémon inside…?"

Fior shrugged, gesturing to the Chinchou.

"Terry caught that one… there're a few other Pokémon you might want to check out… I got myself a Stalac."

She detached the Pokéball from her belt, carelessly releasing the Pokémon within. It glowed a light blue in the half-light, its body vaguely resembling a sharp spike. Curious, Dave removed his PokéNav from his jacket.

_Stalac, the Spire Pokémon. This Pokémon lives in caves, pretending to be ordinary Stalactites or Stalagmites. Unsuspecting travelers are often surprised when these Pokémon drop from above or attack from below._

Dave shut his PokéNav, thoughtful. RJ nodded at the two as they moved off.

"See you, all…"

The two of them stepped into the tunnel, immediately engulfed by a feeling of loss which accompanied the darkness. Their only light in the dark was Espeon, who continued to walk ahead of them.

"Won't work…" Dave finally said, after they'd taken two more turns heading straight down.

"What won't…?" RJ asked, confused.

"I need a Grass or Rock-type… not another Ground… Stalac won't cut it for the team."

RJ slapped his forehead. The sound echoed in the darkness; several somethings stirred.

"What was that…?" RJ whispered to the wind.

They approached a fork, Dave almost slipping as he came to a sudden decision turning to the right fork, which veered down into a sheer slope. RJ helped him to his feet.

"Be a little more careful…"

Dave shrugged, walking down the slide with amazing alacrity. Espeon, being agile and all, was already at the bottom waiting for the three of them. RJ followed, Machop last. As they dusted themselves off, Dave looked up and whistled.

"This… is quite a sight…"

The walls were glowing with some sort of phosphor; a distinctive light blue glow which reminded him forcibly of Stalac. The air was cold here, and damp.

"I'd say we're probably standing right next to the lake. Somewhere… behind this wall," Dave said, pointing, "the lake is."

RJ nodded. "And I'd agree. I was wondering why the Stalac had that strange blue glow all over it… I guess this is why."

Cautiously, Dave progressed, looking up at the ceiling for any Stalac which might fall on him; in the dim light, it was virtually impossible for him to properly discern anything, but there was nothing wrong in being too careful. The corridor they were in seemed to lead back upon itself; it was like a giant path which outlined the same lake above.

"And below… and all around…"

RJ spoke just to hear the sound of his own voice as they kept walking. Every now and then Espeon's ruby would glow again, and a Stalac would be sent flying off. There was no need for her light now, though; the blue light of the phosphor was more than enough.

Carefully they descended another level; the temperature was steadily dropping.

"If this keeps up, I'll be darned if I don't catch any Ice Pokémon…

* * *

Ash yelped and leapt to a side as the Ember missed him by inches.

"You… didn't mean to do that… did you?"

Michelle kept her eyes on the drawing, trying to keep from smiling.

"Severe burns, I told you… severe burns…"

Ash sighed, turning to Ditto; it, too, was exhausted from dodging Houndour's attacks. While Houndour looked spent as well, at least most of its attacks had done damage to Ditto.

"Come on, Ditto! Let's attack with a Confusion!"

The tiny creature transformed into the lavender feline which was Dave's starter. Immediately the gem on its head glowed green as it focused its energies…

"You're not even paying attention anymore… don't you remember…?"

In a single Faint Attack, Houndour had knocked Ditto back into its original form.

"Psychic isn't exactly the best thing to use against a Dark Pokémon."

Ash was still adamant.

"It's not like you're paying attention anymore than I am…?"

She smiled in response to that.

"On the contrary; I do. After all, who knows when Ditto might actually succeed in incapacitating Houndour, maybe asphyxiating it in the folds of its pink, acidic grasp… bringing my poor Houndour to…"

Ash sighed, interrupting her macabre prediction.

"Fine… I give up."

Ash laughed halfheartedly as Ditto waddled up to him gratefully. Michelle shrugged and put the finishing touches on the sketch she'd been drawing before stashing it back in her sling bag.

"And I wasn't even using Leon…"

Ash looked from Ditto to the Houndour; while Ditto had the capability…

_It just doesn't have the experience…_

Erynn walked over, trying to hide her own smile.

"This was _your_ idea, wasn't it…?" Ash groaned.

Erynn shrugged; it was neither a yes nor a no.

"Both of you then…" he groaned again. Then he stood up, turning to face the two of them.

"Either way though… I've still got to thank you."

He did a small bow.

"I've still got a long way to go with Ditto… with a bit more experience; I know it can beat you!"

Leon growled softly, but Michelle silenced it by stroking his back.

"Leon and I will be ready when you ever feel the need to prove yourself again. I strongly advise against it though, because…"

"… our nerves might constrict under the paralytic effect of Leon's Spark attack, causing our bodily functions to malfunction and possibly leading to muscles rupturing, intestinal bleeding, and certain dea…"

Ash's voice trailed off as he caught the look on Michelle's face.

"I was just going to say that you'd probably be too busy with Gym battles to do so… what kind of sick person are you…!"

Ash and Erynn stared blankly at her. Then her innocent face cracked into a smile.

The three of them were still talking about the battle as they walked back to the Pokémon Centre.

"That was a pretty good prediction you made though…"

"Oh… quit it already."

**A/N: Another rushed chapter! It's time for me to go to bed, either way. I hope you lot don't mind the way the battle turned out; I really didn't either one of them to have to fully incapacitate the others' Pokémon, especially since Michelle really _is_ a lot more experienced than Ash is.**

**And hopefully tomorrow I'll have more time; RJ and Dave's encounter in Baria is next! Oh and could I do a quick poll to see if anyone wants any baddies in the fic? Right now it's on the straight and narrow; road to Pokémon League-dom.**

**As always though, don't forget to review!**


	23. A Rare Pokémon Approaches!

**Disclaimer: Thanks for the reviews!**

**And Ash _does_ have Hoppip… but well yeah I guess that doesn't really counts. I'll see what I can do about getting him new Pokémon… but I doubt it'll be an egg, though. People don't generally give you eggs for no reason. He _does_ know he needs a Pokémon though… especially after being beaten by Michelle so bad.**

**A baddie though… that's one thing I've been considering for a long time; IMO it adds a lot of cliché "omg-rockets"… but I thought it'd be quite a cool thing to do… so… and all… yeah. Maybe a bit in the future… like after the 2nd badge, as R'N'Rer suggests.**

**And I did a sketch of some sort of Pokémon Go! cover page today… the significance of the sunglasses there isn't… well there isn't much significance that way, but… well it was easier to draw.**

**Project's been claiming a lot of my time… getting to start on the chapter only now, with two hours left. Same time as yesterday, I guess. Anyways, taking all your reviews to heart… here comes the next episode of Pokémon Go, chapter 23!**

The cold stone walls seemed to close in on them as they stepped cautiously through the long passage. They were still heading downwards now, but the slope was less steep here. It was also obvious trainers had rarely come down this deep; at points, Machop actually had to crush rocks in their way.

"So long as this doesn't cause the entire tunnel to give way…" Dave whispered.

There was less phosphoresce down this deep; as they continued to descend, Espeon was forced to create the light again. Occasionally it casts shadows on the walls; shadows that were not theirs, but these were fleeting; the Pokémon down here seemed to have no desire for a human encounter.

"I _do_ wish we'd actually find a Pokémon worth coming down this deep for…" RJ said in a low voice, rubbing his hands together for warmth. Time seemed to stretch in the darkness; while they had only been in there half an hour at most, it seemed they'd been heading downward for hours.

"We'll probably reach the bottom soon…"

Dave's words could hardly have been truer; at the next corner, the two of them stopped abruptly. A fork, leading right upward, left downwards. Down the left, a flight of stairs, carved so smoothly that it could hardly have been man-made, wound downwards from where they stood. RJ looked down a moment, then nodded.

"Figures… this was probably created as a river ran along this route…"

RJ traced a route leading from the right path, downwards. Dave stared down the long, winding trail.

"A… river…? Well; at least it isn't running anymore…"

Dave stepped down the smooth rock step, a breath catching in his throat as he almost tripped. Gaining confidence, he ran the rest of the way down, stopping only to call back to RJ.

"What're you waiting for…? At last… something not so boring…!"

RJ shrugged, following Dave down. Espeon followed, easily catching up with Dave due to its agile dexterity. Machop followed behind RJ. Dave watched Espeon as it led the way once more, noticing that the light on its forehead was beginning to fade.

_It can't get tired so easily…_

As the four of them descended, it was almost as though the path was a staircase between levels. As RJ and Machop cleared the upper level, Dave and Espeon had reached the bottom, and were fully astonished.

"It's not that Espeon's light was getting dimmer…"

RJ nodded, stepping off the winding path behind Dave.

"This place… was just getting brighter…"

It was hard to believe they hadn't entered a different dimension; the temperature here was freezing; RJ shivered as he detached a Pokéball from his belt.

"Vulpix; come on out!"

The Fire Pokémon practically jumped out of its Pokéball; it looked around for a second, unsure of where _exactly_ it was.

The walls here was almost entirely covered with the light-blue phosphor; compared to the darkness, the light here was almost blinding. The ceiling was entirely covered, as well, with the exception of a large dome-shaped projection which hung from the ceiling; it stretched over the entirety of the underground lake which lay in the center of the cavern. A steady drip-drip could be heard as water condensed on the sides of the dome, trickling towards down and falling into the center of the pool.

The crystal-clear waters reflected the blue light off the walls, lighting the entire cavern up in beautifully patterned strokes. All was silent; vague shadows indicated the presence of Pokémon in the water, but that was all. RJ walked over to a sign which hung to a side; he read it, and then motioned to Dave to come over. The sign had only once sentence written on it.

_Welcome to Lake Baria.

* * *

_

Erynn stepped back into the room, her hair still wet from the shower. Sitting down on the lower bunk of her bed, she continued to towel her hair as she turned to Michelle.

"Thanks, Michelle… for everything; we'll see you tomorrow?"

Michelle shrugged, sitting in one of the black armchairs; her hair was loose as she reached behind her head, re-tying her hair up.

"Unless I'm attacked tonight and incapacitated, I believe I'll probably be with you tomorrow. The likelihood of that happening is halved though; house break-ins are usually the result of thieves more than armed murderers."

Erynn sighed.

"Are you always like that…?"

"No; sometimes I'm worse."

It was at that point that Ash entered with dinner. Ditto, who had been lying on the bed all the time, now perked up at the sound, and the two of them quickly set into eating.

"Erynn… the…" Ash swallowed, "the two bags of food there are for you… and Michelle can have that one," he indicated the two bags, "if she wants."

Michelle watched, her mouth open in an O as she watched trainer and Pokémon demolish their food.

"Don't worry about it… I'm having dinner at home."

Ash shrugged.

"Ditto; you want to try some tofu?"

He paused from his meal, reaching for the extra packet of food and dumping it in front of the pink Pokémon, who wasted no time in swallowing it as well. Erynn rose from her seat and took her share, settling into the black chair beside Michelle to eat it. She poked at it with her fork, before turning to look at Ash.

"How much did these cost you…?"

Ash took a break from demolishing his meal.

"Why…?" he caught the look in Erynn's eyes.

"Oh… don't worry about that… I'm surprised you have money left over after all your shopping sprees… just eat it."

Erynn nodded, and began to eat. Michelle watched as Ash stood to throw away the inedible remains of his meal. Standing, he turned to Ditto.

"Hey… where're your… Ditto! No more plastic bags…!"

At the sight of Ash forcibly removing two plastic bags and a fork from Ditto, Michelle was tempted to take her sketchbook out once more. But then she thought better of it, letting her hand drop to a side as she looked to Erynn, who watched the entire incident more than a little bemusedly.

Ash groaned, rushing off to the recycling bins with what looked to be a pink, sodden mess in his hands. And all over his shirt as well.

"Is he… always like that…?"

Erynn hummed a little note as she poked at her food, nodding.

"Every time… but while it gets annoying, it's also kind of funny."

Michelle nodded thoughtfully, turning to leave.

"I'll see you tomorrow; then…"

Erynn nodded, her mouth too full of vegan goodness to speak.

As she left the room, her eyes lingering on the trail of pink slime which marked Ash's path, she spoke to herself in an undertone.

"This… should be more interesting than I thought…"

Leon followed her out of the PokéCentre and into the evening light.

* * *

RJ paced around one side of the lake; Dave followed purely because he didn't have a Fire Pokémon to keep him warm.

"This… this projection is most probably the bottom of the lake above…" RJ speculated.

It was tremendous; the bulge looked like it was on the verge of giving way, and yet it somehow still managed to keep the place together.

"If _this_… this place is Lake Baria… then the land above…?"

RJ turned from the sight, pondering on Dave's question for a while.

"I guess… both of them are, in a way. There's the tourist's version… and then there's this… probably the real one, here."

Dave checked his PokéNav; it was getting late.

"There's no one down here at all…"

RJ shrugged; he didn't understand how no one seemed to come, either.

"The Pokémon here should be less than common, anyway."

Dave looked as RJ gestured over the large lake.

"What… you aren't catching any of these…?"

RJ smiled.

"There are other Pokémon I've got my sights on… let's just say these Pokémon are not my type…"

Turning, RJ released Azurill from his Pokéball.

"Azurill…?"

The creature emerged from its Pokéball, fast asleep. Dave sighed and woke the Pokémon up.

"Azurill… go try and lure one of the Pokémon in the lake up here with a Charm."

Azurill nodded, turning and walking away from her trainer, taking a step into the water before squealing and rushing back again.

"What…?"

RJ laughed out loud.

"Azurill's finding it too cold, Dave."

And he was right. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't persuade the Pokémon to leave his body. After a while, he finally gave up and recalled the Pokémon. It disappeared in a flash of red immateria as Dave turned to Espeon. The two of them exchanged glances.

"Espeon; Confusion attack!"

Espeon's ruby glowed red again as she began to concentrate. Dave could feel the power she concentrated at the water…

All of a sudden, Espeon's power seemed to fade. Before anyone knew what was happening, the jewel on Espeon's head glowed black and sent the energy back at the feline. RJ tensed as Espeon got to her feet shakily, a strange Pokémon rising out of the waters.

It was a lot larger than Espeon; it looked like an octopus, but instead of tentacles, dark immateria hung from its bulbous body. Somehow, its body, too, looked racked.

"What is… that?"

Espeon shuddered as it was racked by a series of spasms. Dave turned to the Pokémon nervously, but it wasn't doing anything…

RJ removed his PokéNav from his pocket, pointing it at the strange creature as he switched to the PokéDex function.

_Spectropus, the Hollow Shell Pokémon. Spectropus makes its home in the bodies of dead Octillery. It is rarely found in the wild because it requires a host to survive. Sailors used to fear this creature as the incarnation of the giant Kraken; among its various attacks, its Curse is the most potent, giving some justification to their claims._

A rare Pokémon. Dave's eyes glittered at the prospect, but he was not without a little apprehension. A Ghost-Water Pokémon would be hard to take on with any of his Pokémon… especially since…

Espeon writhed again.

_That's… its Curse attack…?_

Quickly, Dave recalled Espeon into her Pokéball; the Psychic Pokémon was too weak to resist. Snapping it into his belt, he was left with three choices.

_Mudross… the water would kill it, without a doubt._

_Rattata…a Normal type… would be entirely useless._

_Azurill… she'd probably try to hide and fall into the water…_

_Weedle…? _

Dave lifted the Pokéball from his belt.

_I'd hate to say it… but it's my only choice…_

RJ stepped a step back. This was going to get serious.

"Dave…"

Dave turned to RJ.

"Would you mind if I borrowed your Omanyte…?"

RJ goggled at him; he hadn't expected him to say that.

"It's just… Weedle's the only Pokémon that can even damage that guy… and…"

RJ nodded, handing the Pokéball to him. With a flourish, Dave released both Pokémon at the same time.

RJ looked doubtful, though, as he stood to a side.

"Weedle and Omanyte… I'm not so sure they can handle it…"

**A/N: Meh… I hate projects and everything… they can really suck away story-writing time… and I've got third language tomorrow, too.**

**Whatever it is though, it's also way past my bedtime, but I still hope you enjoyed it. I've gotta go to bed now, so please review, all of you! Thanks very much!**


	24. Pokémon Caught! :: Interlude Till Dawn

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. On a side note, I haven't played it in a while, so forgive any inconsistencies.**

**VampireWizard… thanks for your review, but so long as the Pokémon was part Ghost, Rattata would be hard pressed to hit it; after all, Gastly's a Ghost and Poison Pokémon, yet normal attacks can't affect its poison side.**

**Dragon Master Cohl… don't think I've got many of your reviews before… thanks for your advice; though I kinda assumed Dark was a physical damage thing… goes back to something in Pokémon Crystal which happened when my Umbreon used Pursuit… anyways here I'm assuming the best counter for an attack; I mean, I don't see how Mirror Coat would work on a Bite attack, in real life. Thanks for the advice though; yeah, Erynn has an Oddish; I've _got_ to find a way to keep track of the Pokémon they have… I'll change it the instant I get a chance. Thanks for that, too.**

**And I'm sorry if I portrayed Michelle as a little too arrogant; she isn't, really. She just is very much a closet pessimist; sort of a balance… I guess, to the optimism most others have. I hope WickedWolf09 would agree…**

**Anyways, I've only got two hours left… I'm getting more of that, aren't I? So… Pokémon Go! chapter 24… commencing!**

The two Pokémon appeared in a flash of red light. Dave gritted his teeth as the creature began its attack.

_That Pokémon… it's remarkably strong…_

RJ tensed as the Spectropus lashed out with a ghostly tendril; like any normal Octillery, it had eight such arms, and it struck out with all of them in quick succession, hitting with deadly precision. Dave barely had time to order his Pokémon to dodge when they connected; Omanyte's hard shell protected it from the worst of the attack, but Weedle was hit head on.

"Weedle…! Counterattack with a Poison Sting…! Omanyte, follow up with a…"

Dave turned to RJ, who sighed and spoke.

"Omanyte only knows Withdraw, Constrict, and Bite, and Water Gun."

Dave nodded, turning back as Weedle released its Poison Sting attack; the needles sailed through the air, as the Spectropus raised a tendril to defend itself. As the stings entered the concentrated spirit-energy, it slowed, but didn't stop. With a wave of its tendrils, the stings lost their momentum, falling harmlessly into the water. The tendrils snaked out again, Weedle only just managing to dodge it this time.

"Ugh… let's try that again…! Weedle; Poison Sting; Omanyte; support them with a Water Gun!"

The small yellow worm released another stream of needles; as again, the creature raised a tendril to defend itself. As Dave nodded, Omanyte released a powerful jet of water, knocking the arm aside. In an instant, the needles were through, sending the creature a few feet back under its impact.

Halting its fall, the Spectropus shook itself out of the daze, rushing back at the two Pokémon. Even as its tendrils grabbed Weedle and lifted it into the air, it released a Shadow Ball attack straight at Omanyte.

"Withdraw…!"

Omanyte withdrew into its shell as the Shadow Ball impacted. The Pokémon was knocked back into the wall, but was otherwise left unharmed. In a swift motion, the Spectropus had returned to its position in the middle of the lake. Its long tendrils floated eerily in the empty air; two tendrils wrapped tightly around Weedle, otherwise they were free.

"A Constrict attack… Weedle; fire Poison Stings into the Spectropus's eyes!"

Even as the Constrict took hold, Weedle managed to fire off a weak stream of poison needles; its captor had no time to defend itself as the attack ripped through the empty eye sockets; the creature made a hoarse rattling sound and flung Weedle at the rock wall.

"String Shot! Go!"

Weedle managed to fire a series of String Shots which cushioned its landing. Dazed, it watched as the Spectropus shuddered. Dave smiled grimly; the Octillery was merely an outer body; under that, it was entirely vulnerable.

_The Hollow Shell Pokémon, eh…_

"Omanyte; Weedle! Go for the eyes!"

Inspired by the discovery of its weakness, both Pokémon renewed their attacks. The two attacks shot forward parallel to one another; Spectropus lashed out with its ghost tendrils, but only managed to slow the two slightly. As it was thrown back against the wall again, it fired a Shadow Ball attack at them.

"Dodge…!"

Dave jumped to a side as the ball hurtled past them, impacting and diffusing as it drove straight into the wall behind them.

RJ could do naught but watch as the battle raged on; there was nothing he could do to help when it came to a battle between a trainer and a Pokémon. The blue light washed over the entire field, bringing a subtly eerie touch to the setting. It undulated; moving almost in tandem with the creature's long, floating tendrils.

"Omanyte; Constrict that Spectropus so Weedle can just get a good hit…!"

Omanyte understood, jumping forward to comply. Jumping, its tiny tentacles latched onto the creature, elongating and whipping around its…

_What…?_

And all of a sudden, Omanyte fell through into the water. Luckily, it was used to the freezing temperatures, and remained in it, for the time being. Dave slapped his head at his carelessness.

"Constrict's a Normal attack… Omanyte! Water Gun from below!"

Omanyte's attack was strengthened by the water it could draw its strength from, all around it. The force of the blow hit the enemy hard enough to send it flying to a side, entirely out of whack. It turned to counterattack…

"Weedle! String Shot!"

The little worm reared up and released a short burst of web; the attack did little but irritate the Pokémon, slowing it slightly; but it distracted it for long enough to allow Omanyte to get out of range of its attacks. Noticing this, the creature rattled again; but it was different this time. This time, the chill rattling was not one of pain…

He watched for a second as the Spectropus lowered its tendrils into the water; it was too far to possibly do anything but…

RJ watched everything happen as well, and with a sinking feeling, he realized he knew what was going to happen.

"Omanyte; get out of the water, now!"

Dave turned to RJ, and then looked back. But Omanyte seemed trapped; somehow, no matter how hard it tried to leave the water, it kept getting pulled back in. Dave looked around Omanyte; none of the tendrils were anywhere near it… in fact… they all seemed concentrated in the _exact_ center of the water body…

"Oh… no… Omanyte; hurry and withdraw!"

Omanyte complied, tucking itself into its shell. A moment later, it collided with the rocks which lined the sides of the large body of water. Had it not been withdrawn, it might've been smashed to pieces. Instead, it continued its movement, circling… circling…

"It's a Whirlpool attack…!"

Dave and RJ could do naught but watch in awe as the small ripples the Spectropus had generated with its tendrils formed massive waves which entirely altered the flow of the water. In seconds, the Pokémon was almost entirely encased in a wall of water as the whirlpool rose high above it; Dave pulled Weedle back as waves crashed against the side of the pool; the wall reflected the phosphor beautifully, so it formed a large pillar of light…

"Weedle…! String Shot…!"

The attack subsided as Weedle's attack managed to entangle two of the Pokémon's tendrils. Waves crashed against the walls one final time before settling back into place.

Dave pulled Weedle's string taut, waiting till Omanyte had returned before issuing his next command.

"Now… let's do it! Weedle; Poison Sting! Omanyte, Water Gun!"

Dave held the weakened Pokémon in place as the two attacks rushed toward it; with nothing in the way, the Pokémon was hit by the two attacks, sending it flying back once more. This time, it didn't stop.

Dave tossed the Pokéball; once, twice it shook. Then it stopped.

"And… match."

* * *

Ash returned from the washroom a few minutes later, muttering about how some Dittos had no common sense. Walking back into the room, he was surprised to see Michelle gone, while Erynn was finishing her meal.

"She's gone already…?"

Erynn nodded, leaving the room to have her rubbish thrown away. Tired, Ash plonked down on the bunk with Ditto.

"So… what did you think of that girl…?"

Ditto thought for a moment, before transforming into a particularly frightening picture of a Manectric. Ash stared blankly at it, nodding slowly.

"Yeah… besides the Manectric…"

"… _She was far too… dark… for my liking… Dit…"_

Ash shrugged.

"If you think about it, though… her dark predictions are pretty funny, if you know what I mean".

Ditto shook its head vehemently.

"_Not when it's my life she's talking about…"_

Ash looked seriously at Ditto.

"You know… I'm seriously beginning to wonder…"

Ditto looked back at him just as seriously. Which was something that came naturally to Dittos. They just copied.

"_Why in Jirachi's name you'd allowed yourself to be pulled into this?"_

"… Why in Jirachi's name I'd allowed myself to be pulled into this."

Ditto sighed happily and shook its head.

"_And to think… that I'd have to tag along with you as well… now _that_'s the worst luck in the world…"_

Erynn walked back into the room. Ash quickly sat up. Ditto did the same.

"Hey… Erynn…?"

Erynn sat on the bunk across from his, her look, questioning; both of them occupied the top bunks, with Ditto inexplicably on her side again. Ash opened his mouth, hesitated, and then finally remembered what he was going to say.

"What… what do you think about Michelle…?"

She looked at him, thrown by the question.

"What do you mean…?"

He shrugged, trying hard not to make eye contact. Somehow, though, his eyes kept meeting hers, in the uncomfortable way he wished it didn't.

"I mean… any general impression of her…? I mean… we've only known her for a day and all, but…"

Erynn tilted her head to a side, thinking.

"I guess… she has her quirks… of course her pessimism we all know… but I think she's a good trainer and a pretty nice friend to have…"

Ash nodded; he couldn't deny that, though he didn't have much of an experience of his own. All of a sudden, Erynn frowned.

"… Only known her for a day…? The two of us barely even _knew_ each other when we first started this journey…"

Ash shrugged, nodding his head with his hands in a gesture of submission.

"You're right, I guess. There really isn't much point in worrying about all of that now, anyway. Everyone's entitled to their quirks, I guess…"

Erynn nodded; satisfied.

It was at this moment that Dave and RJ returned.

"Where've you all been the whole day…?" Ash asked first.

Dave grinned as he detached a Pokéball from his belt.

"Lake Baria… and you won't believe what I've caught…"

Spectropus appeared, startling Ash and Erynn both.

"This… a Ghost Pokémon…?"

Dave nodded.

"And RJ caught a Stalac, as well. So our day wasn't a complete waste… yours?"

Ash groaned and lay on his bed.

"Don't bother asking…"

Erynn hardly batted an eye as she took up the narrative. Dave and RJ listened for a few minutes, and then turned to Ash.

"Let's hear _your_ version of the events…"

Ash sighed, rolling over.

"To put a long story short, we met another girl today; she beat me in a one-on-one battle, and is joining us on our way tomorrow."

This time, RJ and Dave nodded.

"Thanks for the translation," RJ added, as the two ran out before Oddish's Stun Spore was released. Sighing, Erynn walked slowly back into her room.

Ash twitched; he was entirely immobile. Erynn gasped and helped apply some Paralysis Heals which she kept in her backpack. When he was finally able to move, he heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly brushed Erynn's hands off of him.

"Erynn… you really need to control your impulses…"

Erynn glared adamant.

"I don't _have_ any uncontrollable impulses…"

Ash raised an eyebrow.

"You mean; besides Shopping, Attacking Someone, Shopping, Shopping, Attacking Someone, Attacking Someone, Shopping, and Attacking me…?"

Erynn blushed, but just a little; her impulses _did_ seem quite obvious, put that way.

"It's… I can't really help it, can I?"

Ash laughed, sitting up and looking across at her.

"If you could; the impulses wouldn't be uncontrollable…"

The laughter grew silent; soon, they were both asleep.

* * *

"Hey… Ash…!"

The voice was heard from outside the room. He blearily sat up in bed and stared across to the doorway. Dave and RJ were whispering to him.

"Is the coast clear yet…?"

Ash slapped his forehead, deciding to fall back into the Land of Nod in response.

_Girls… troublesome; every one of them._

**A/N: Another chapter complete! I do not discriminate against girls, so don't blame me. While this chapter was pretty short, I hope you enjoyed it, because I'm _really, really_ sleepy right now… if I've got any other errors feel free to point them out… because I can't… keep… awake….**

**Oh, yeah. Please review.**

**Zzz.**


	25. Gym: Fluoride City

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon; besides, I'm addicted to semicolons. **

**I find there's nothing a good semicolon can't solve; 'good' meaning one with a little Punkt on top and a comma below. **

**And I keep un-remembering everything I plan to write. I'll change that part the instant I get a chance, so thanks, Eefree!**

**And R'N'Rer, as the OC creator, sure; if you want, I'll let Dave do just that. PokéCentre etiquette encourages not getting too many rooms, though.**

**Thanks for pointing out my errors in your reviews, either way. I was home early today; but online games kept me busy for a while… anyways, here's the next instalment of Pokémon Go!**

He awoke; early, this time. The room's four other occupants were still fast asleep. Ditto was still sleeping next to Erynn, while Espeon lay at Dave's feet. Slowly he clambered out of bed, trying not to wake any of the others. The ladder creaked softly as it patiently bore his weight.

Ash didn't know exactly what he meant to do by this, but he didn't feel like disturbing the quiet. Removing a fresh set of clothes from his backpack, he wandered off in the general direction of the showers.

In a short while, he was seated in one of the cushy black armchairs, watching as the others slept. He didn't know whether to wake them up or not; on the one hand, he would derive great satisfaction from getting his own back from Erynn. On the other hand though, it was 3 in the morning.

There was just a single window in the room; it faced out toward the large, beaten stone path which had come to be known as the Great North Road. There was hardly anyone out at this time of the morning; the lamp-lit streets were deserted.

A pattering of feet; Ash's curiosity was aroused. He stood and walked silently over to the window. Two dark-clothed figures were running along the large stone path, pointedly avoiding the light. As they approached, Ash ducked; in that instant, though, they revealed themselves to him; two men in dark outfits; trenchcoats, both of them, with Pokéballs revealed underneath; most of all, he noticed the incredibly excessive eye-shadow.

He watched as they ran into the distance, disappearing from sight. Sighing, he walked back to the chairs and sat down. The nerves; it was to be only his second Gym battle; the nerves were what kept him up.

In the quiet of the predawn darkness, he watched; listened to the emptiness… until steadily, he fell asleep again.

* * *

"Wake up!"

He awoke with a start, jolted awake by the feeling of two hands shaking him by the shoulder. He groaned as he stood, stretching.

"I was waiting for you all…"

Erynn and Dave were standing in front of him, both of them fully dressed. Espeon was on the window sill, looking out with considerable interest; her tail swished in the air as she did. At a look from Dave, though, she leapt off the window, landing neatly on the ground.

"What time are we meeting RJ again…?"

Erynn turned to the clock which hung on the wall.

"Right about… now."

They met in the corridor; RJ's hair was spiky, as usual. There was nothing really special about the meeting.

"Had a good night's sleep?"

"Not particularly."

The four trainers stepped out of the Pokémon Centre, the sliding doors hissing as they all walked through. Ash kept in the middle of the group this time; that way it would be more likely everyone else would be squashed before he would.

RJ looked to Ash.

"After this battle… I'll be heading off on my own."

Ash nodded.

"Don't worry about it. Hope to see you in the league some other time."

Erynn turned to face the group, walking backwards.

"By the way… we're meeting Michelle after lunch… it'd be the first time you'll be seeing her Dave, so…"

"… Be afraid; be very afraid." Ash cut in.

Dave looked between the two of them, askance.

"Don't worry about it…" Erynn sighed, "she's not evil or anything…"

It was at that moment that the group heard a commotion coming from the east, away from the Gym.

"What's that…?"

"Checking it out won't take a lot of time…"

Reaching a consensus, the group rushed over to where a large group of people had gathered. In the sea of heads, Erynn picked out a flash of unmistakably-styled red hair; she nudged Ash and pointed, but Ash simply nodded in response.

"… and Immaterion Corporations is very sorry to have to be postponing the release of the new and improved Pokéball plug-in. Even as we speak, police officers are…"

There was a collective groan at the part regarding the Pokéball plug-ins. As the group walked away from the site, they consolidated their takes on the event.

There had apparently been a break-in at Immaterion Corporations. The corporation was one of the largest in the region, supplying everything from the latest PokéGadgetry, to to-go lids. Apparently new technology regarding the latest prototype of Pokéball had been stolen… while they had backups, the security risk was far too high for the company to release the project on any scale.

"Well," Ash said, "it's not like we can do anything about it…"

RJ shrugged.

"Let's just get this battle over with…"

This early in the morning, the Gym was only just open. It was a large building, made entirely of tinted black glass. Looking up, Ash thought it stretched into infinity; wondered how it even managed to stand so straight. The sign still hung against its outer fence. Calmly but boldly, the four trainers entered the Gym.

"Hey… Ash…"

RJ turned to speak to him in an undertone.

"Do you mind if, say… Dave were to be my Double Battle partner here…?"

Ash did a double take.

"Why…?"

RJ looked at him as though the reason was obvious. Thinking back, Ash realized it probably was.

"But… does that mean I have to go with…"

RJ nodded, a tad apprehensively. He was afraid that Ash would throw the idea in his face.

"Fine…" he sighed, looking between Dave and Erynn. But you've got to break the news to them as well, or it's a no-go."

RJ nodded.

"I've already asked Dave, and he's fine about it…"

Ash stared at him for a serious moment before replying.

"You know… Erynn and I have never battled with each other before."

RJ tilted his head to a side.

"It's time you did; after all, once I leave your team, you'll be back to three again."

Ash nodded slowly as Dave came over.

"So… is it decided then?"

RJ and Ash nodded simultaneously.

"Then let's go."

* * *

The interior of the Gym was large; relatively spacious. The floors; ceilings; the entire building was made of glass, reinforced by steel. In front of them there was a counter, presumably for registering Double Battle teams. Behind, there were three elevators, each one leading up through the floors, past anything they could see. The floors were semi-transparent, and they noticed that there were actually trainers directly above them, a distance away from the elevator shaft.

The receptionist looked up at them.

"Teams…?"

Ash pulled Erynn's arm back as RJ and Dave stepped forward. The receptionist nodded to them, marking them with a laser tag before directing them to the first elevator.

Erynn shrugged Ash's hand off her upper arm as she stepped up to the counter.

"Why am I with you…?" she hissed.

Ash shrugged; in an effort to please everybody…

"It's kinda true though, isn't it? RJ and Dave have had more experience with each other than with you or me."

Erynn turned to face him.

"So… one team wins and the other loses…?"

Ash stepped up as the two of them were tagged and assigned an elevator.

"Oh come on… do you have so little faith in me…?"

Erynn rolled her eyes.

"Do I really have to answer that…?"

The two teams stepped up to their respective elevators; there were two doors to each, they saw now. One in front, and the other behind. Electronic instructions appeared as the lift doors hissed open.

"_**Please stand on your designated platforms, back to back."**_

Dave and RJ stepped into the elevator, each stepping into a red rectangle which ran a scan on their IDs. Each facing a door, they waited as Ash and Erynn did the same.

"_**Now, please select your first Pokémon; you have ten seconds remaining to get ready by placing your Pokémon in front of you."**_

Glancing at each other, Ash and Erynn selected their Pokéballs, releasing Ditto and Oddish. Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Oddish…?"

"I'm training it," she said defensively.

Over in the other elevator, RJ had picked Machop again, then turning to Dave to see what he chose.

"Time to test out my new Pokémon, wouldn't you say…?"

RJ nodded.

"I would say."

Dave tossed the Pokéball in the air, releasing the Spectropus.

_**3…2…1…**_

The lift doors hissed shut, startling Ash. With trepidation they watched as the number indicating the floor began to rise. Inertia caused gravity to suck down on them as they proceeded to climb faster. In each shaft, the car eventually came to an abrupt stop. Ash and Erynn's elevator car was on the 15th floor, while Dave and RJ's had stopped on the 23rd.

Both sides watched as the doors opened.

Both sides watched as trainers appeared on the other side of their doors.

Dave nodded in satisfaction as a Sandslash emerged to engage his Pokémon. It wasn't for nothing the elevators were large; large enough to fit all four Pokémon. RJ took a step back as Machop faced off against a Murkrow, until the two trainers were standing with their backs up against each other.

"Hey Dave… you know how this is a Double Battle and all…?"

Dave nodded, tensing as the Pokémon grew closer.

"Let's make it count as a team effort, then."

On the other side, the door hissed open to reveal a Gastly and a Phanpy.

Ash and Erynn stood back to back as the four Pokémon surrounded them; the battle was imminent. Erynn casually put her glasses on again, turning to Ash.

"We'd better not lose this fight…"

Ash shrugged.

"I haven't let you down yet, have I…?"

Erynn turned away from him, eyeing the Pokémon warily.

"'Yet'… the word, Ash, is 'yet'…"

And while the battle was about to begin, Ash was just beginning to wonder if Michelle had rubbed herself off on Erynn…

**A/N: Sorry this is so horribly short! I really left off the writing till too late; now I'm tired and can't write any more. I promise the next chapter will be longer! Really! With two (or more) battles, it can't possibly be shorter, anyway. I hope you liked the concept of this Gym… the battle with the Gym Leaders I've already got a vague idea of… and it'll be really cool!**

**Oh and please don't think Michelle is a horrible character or anything; I never meant to portray her that way… if you do, then I'll try and remedy that at the next meeting; there's something written in her OC profile I haven't done yet. WickedWolf09, I know you might be wondering what exactly I'm referring to… but there're quite a few things, so yeah.**

**And… I'm sorry because I've really got to go to sleep now… but however short this filler chapter is, I hope you at least enjoyed part of it; the baddies are coming out soon; but don't form too many of your own conclusions yet! Not all may be as it seems…**

**But whatever it is, please review and all! It brings me great pleasure, and also sometimes chagrin, to read your words of encouragement, and sometimes corrections as well.**


	26. Gym: Fluoride Trainer Battle 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. I do own the characters Ash, Erynn, and the strange ones I've created. But nothing else. I do not own much, actually.**

**Now isn't that sad? Anyways, the next episode of Pokémon Go! is here… the four trainers take on the infinitely-tall-tower of random encounters! The idea was almost entirely original, but now I just remembered the random lift encounter in Final Fantasy VII… and maybe I got my inspiration subconsciously from there as well.**

**Anyways, I'm glad you like Gym Battles so much; sidetracks really are most of the story though… I mean, without the sidetracking, Ash and friends would've gone through the Pokémon League in approximately twenty episodes, and where would _we_ be?**

**Anyways, next chapter, begin!**

"Any ideas…?"

Ash turned around, watching as the Gastly approached hapless Oddish.

"Ditto! Confusion!"

A transformed Ditto turned, sending a psychic shockwave straight at the Gastly. The Ghost Pokémon howled as it fell to the ground, before shaking the shock off, regrouping.

"Forget that; you take the Phanpy."

Erynn nodded as they switched positions.

"Oddish…! Use Stun Spore on the Phanpy!"

Oddish nodded, releasing a burst of yellow spores at the Ground-type.

"Dodge it, Phanpy…!"

The diminutive Pokémon moved with a little more grace than a rusty lawnmower, but it managed to dodge the attack neatly.

"Rollout attack!"

Phanpy nodded, curling itself into a ball and thundering along towards them; the shockwaves the attack created were remarkably strong, coursing along the entire elevator. As Ditto and Oddish dove out of the way, stumbling, Gastly released a Night Shade attack from above.

"This… isn't working…" Erynn said through the confusion.

For a second Ash was afraid the glass was going to break under them; the Phanpy released its second successive shockwave.

"Ditto; get into the air with Oddish…!"

Ditto nodded, transforming into a Farfetch'd and sweeping Oddish onto its back.

"Your call, Erynn…"

Erynn nodded.

The Phanpy had already ceased its Rollout, and was now looking up at them as the trainer issued his next command.

"Take Down, Phanpy…!"

The small Pokémon curled itself into a ball again, this time launching itself into the air.

"Oddish; Stun Spore, now!"

"Ditto, send Phanpy and Stun Spore to a side with a Gust attack…!"

The attack worked perfectly, as Phanpy's attack was thrown off course. Crashing into the side of the elevator, it lay, unable to move. Its body was literally covered in Stun Spore.

"That's it…! Now, Ditto, let Oddish down."

Oddish jumped off the Farfetch'd's back as it de-transformed.

"Phanpy…!"

Erynn nodded decisively.

"Oddish; finish Phanpy off with an Absorb!"

The little Weed Pokémon hopped up toward Phanpy, draining its life from it. Its leaves seemed to glow as it absorbed the vital energy of the Pokémon.

"Ugh… Gastly; stop Ditto from interfering with a Curse…!"

The trainer seemed desperate now that his partner was out of the battle. Even as Ditto rushed toward it, transforming into an Espeon, it began to slow down, turning sluggish.

"Wha… what…?"

"It's a Curse attack…"

Ash turned to Erynn.

"What _exactly_ does it do…?"

Erynn took off her dark glasses as she answered, looking directly at him.

"It'll lower the energy of your Pokémon substantially… doing damage to it every turn without fail. Lethal damage."

Ash looked from the Gastly to the Oddish.

"Can you handle it by yourself…?"

Erynn looked back toward the battle.

"Don't worry; you've done more than enough. If my knowledge serves me right, this won't take long."

Ash nodded, running up and pulling Ditto from the battle. He hadn't actually seen her handle herself in a Gym battle before, but she wasn't doing too badly.

"Oddish…! Razor Leaf…!"

The Grass Pokémon was still entirely healthy, while its opponent was already very weary.

"Curse… if a Ghost Pokémon uses it… even a weak attack…"

With a flourish, Oddish released two leaves, watching as they spun like knives toward Gastly. A soft sound, like that of metal on wood, and then the leaves were spinning back toward Oddish, like boomerangs.

The Ghost Pokémon sank to the ground, defeated.

As the trainers recalled their Pokémon, a light flashed green, reminiscent of the Trainer's Square. With a hiss, the doors slid closed again, and the lift resumed its upward motion.

"I wonder how the others are doing…?" Ash thought.

* * *

RJ looked thoughtfully at the display, which showed they were on the 23rd level. Apparently the elevator could go up to the 99th level, so, presuming the Gym Leaders were there, they weren't even halfway up yet.

"Whirlpool, Spectropus…!"

Dave started the battle off as his sudden attack caught the Sandslash off guard. Spectropus' tendrils reached out in front of its snout as a stream of water was manipulated into a dazzling display of water manipulation.

"Sandslash… Defense Curl!"

The Pokémon curled itself into a ball, surviving the brunt of the attack. Dave wasn't letting up, though.

"Keep the attack going…!"

"Murkrow; help Sandslash by attacking that Spectropus with a Wing Attack…!"

The Murkrow swooped down on the other Pokémon, disrupting its attack with a wing to its outer body. The Spectropus staggered back, unharmed, but stunned.

"Now, Sandslash! Attack with a Slash attack…!"

The Sandslash sped towards Machop, recovering from its initial shock to attack.

"Machop; Counter it…!"

Machop pressed his feet into the glass, bracing itself for the attack. A swift flash of claw; and Machop paused, surprised.

Just inches before impact, the Sandslash had plunged its claws into the glass. RJ and Dave instinctively clapped their hands to their ears to stifle the horrible screeching.

In a swift movement, the Sandslash lifted itself into the air, using its single claw as a pivot to drive itself claw-first into Machop. The two Pokémon tumbled, Sandslash wounding Machop as the latter kicked it off him.

Meanwhile, Spectropus had managed to Bind Murkrow.

"Now; use Whirlpool!"

Spectropus released a stream of water directly at Murkrow, causing it to squawk in surprise and pain as the jet hit it directly, sending it flying back against the side of the elevator.

Machop winced, cuts along his arm and back. He turned as Murkrow recovered, just feet from him.

"Machop; finish the job with a Karate Chop!"

Machop rushed forward, leaping into the air to deliver the final blow.

"Sandslash; Poison Sting attack…! Stop that Machop!"

As Sandslash released the poison quills from its back, RJ tensed; he couldn't do anything now. Dave turned and shouted a command.

"Spectropus…! Stop the attack…!"

In a manoeuvre that was still fresh in Dave's memory, a ghostly tendril whipped out, stretching past Machop. The stings slowed to almost a standstill as they plunged straight into the ghostly matter; they clattered to the ground uselessly.

"There you go…"

Machop struck, and his aim was true.

"One more to go…"

RJ turned to Machop.

"Let's finish this. Seismic Toss!"

"Spectropus; join in with a Whirlpool!"

Sandslash barely had time to recover before Machop had tackled it, gripping it firmly in a hand as he swung it in a wide arc around himself. Once the centrifugal force had peaked, he released the throw.

"Now Whirlpool!"

Sandslash flew straight at Spectropus as it released its final attack. Unable to take the damage, Sandslash wiped out, crashing to the ground. Dave and RJ high-fived.

"That did it."

The now-familiar green light washed over them once more. They watched as the lift doors slid closed, tensing as the lift began to move upward once more.

_**If you intend to switch Pokémon, please do so now.**_

Dave turned to RJ.

"Let's give these two a rest first…"

RJ nodded at him, recalling Machop.

"It's time for Stalac to shine…"

The Rock and Ice Pokémon emerged from the Pokéball; its luminous fluorescence the perfect pun to the statement.

"And for me… Espeon, it's time…"

He released the Pokémon from her Pokéball, yelping as she whipped him with her tail.

"Hey… I'm sorry for not letting you out already…"

Espeon gave an imperceptible nod of the head and strolled over to the platform in front of them.

RJ watched as the numbers slowly rose.

_**34…35…36…**_

"I wonder what the next challenge will be…"

* * *

Erynn pouted as Ash shrugged nonchalantly.

"Hey, you brought Oddish out in the last battle; I don't see why I can't let Hoppip out as well…"

"At least Oddish was good for something… I mean, what else can your Hoppip do besides Splash…?"

"You're forgetting Synthesis… and Tail Whip…"

Ash didn't sound very sure of himself now.

"Fine… then I'll use Griven."

Erynn released the fiery dog from its Pokéball, watching it bark happily at her.

"So… now we have our two Pokémon…"

She watched as the numbers rose.

_**37…38…39…**_

Ash gulped as the lift began to slow again.

"I was hoping we'd get to the Gym Leaders in a single fight… but no…"

**A/N: I really hate having to do this. I've got to cut off a perfectly good chapter simply because my father wants me to go to sleep.**

**I'm so sorry… I'll try and write a longer chapter tomorrow… I can't stop apologizing but my father's getting really mad so…**


	27. Gym: Fluoride Trainer Battle 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. What a great way to start a story, this.**

**Anyways, thanks for the reviews… and I _seriously_ hope this chapter'll be longer… though now, come to think about it, my first chapter was only in the eight hundred word zone. And, checking my word lengths, I discovered that chapter three had 1337 words! How cool is that…?**

**But that's of no consequence. The trainers _should_ be pretty tired out, but the trainer battles are… how do you put it…? Merely a test. At the end, that's when the real battle begins… well, the logic's there. It's just a matter of seeing it when it comes. So… get ready for the next chapter of Pokémon Go!**

The doors slid open to rays of bright sunlight. Ash put a hand over his eyes as he distinguished a silhouette against the light. Erynn just stood, a hand on her hip; singularly unimpressed, but then she was wearing dark shades.

The room that surrounded their elevator this time was entirely circular. Ash looked around for a moment before he realized the lift walls were now un-tinted. The two trainers stood outside, unmoving. Slowly, each of them raised a hand and released their Pokémon.

A Bulbasaur appeared first; then a Poliwag. But neither made any move to enter the elevator.

"I think… maybe this battle's meant to be fought outside…?"

The Poliwag's trainer nodded in affirmation. As the Pokémon left the elevator, the doors slid shut. As they did, the two other trainers stepped up onto a platform, which enveloped them in glass as well.

"So… this is a zero-interference battle then."

Ash shrugged.

"Just as well I didn't bother bringing my items."

The four Pokémon tensed, watching their trainers for the slightest indication… the first…

"Poliwag; Water Gun on that Growlithe."

The jet of water coursed straight at Growlithe, point-blank.

"Growlithe…! Dodge it…!"

Though they all could see it was pointless. As Growlithe hesitated, Ash stepped in front of Erynn.

"Now, Hoppip! Block the spray…!"

Nodding, Hoppip threw itself in front of the attack, and was sent crashing across the room. Ash turned, nodding as Hoppip got up again.

"Synthesis…!"

Immediately, Hoppip shone with a green light, its slight scratches healing. It didn't seem at all affected by the attack.

"Bulbasaur! Tackle Hoppip before it can fully heal!"

Now it was Erynn's turn.

"Griven; Take Down."

The intercept hit Bulbasaur squarely on the side. Both Pokémon took a tumble.

"Darn… Poliwag…"

"Bulbasaur… use Vine Whip!"

The Pokémon lifted Growlithe off its feet.

"Griven; stop the attack with an Ember!"

"… Hypnosis."

Griven had just managed to charge the burst of liquid flame when Poliwag stepped in his way, focusing its eyes on him. The flames sputtered down and died as the Pokémon fell asleep. With a flourish, Bulbasaur tossed him to a side.

"Griven…!"

The Pokémon shook the drowsiness off, woken by the impact. Growling, it jumped forward again, accompanied by Hoppip, who was still clueless, but at least a tad more battle-ready now.

"Bulbasaur; Leech Seed!"

The attack rang out, and something in Ash's mind clicked.

"Griven, dodge the attack!"

He stepped up to issue his command.

"Hoppip… copy it!"

Hoppip made a strange gurgling sound as its eyes narrowed for a second. Ash stood with his fists clenched.

"Poliwag! Attack Griven with a Water Gun, again!"

_Come on…_

And then it happened. With a muffled grunt, Hoppip shot backwards, releasing a seed straight at Poliwag.

"Was that a Bullet Seed…?"

But then it extended vines, wrapping themselves around the Poliwag, stunned by the sudden attack. Erynn turned to Ash in astonishment.

"It _actually_ did something…"

Ash shrugged.

"If Ditto could do it, there's no reason why Hoppip shouldn't be able to…"

The pink blob at his feet nodded.

"Hoppip; now try doing it on Bulbasaur!"

But this time the Pokémon dodged with ease.

"It won't work on Grass-types, silly… let me handle this."

Ash nodded.

"Hoppip, you just keep leeching the energy from Poliwag!"

Bulbasaur growled as the Fire Pokémon approach, making him hesitant for a second in attacking.

"Come on, Griven! Show them your Ember attack!"

A stream of fire shot straight at the Grass Pokémon; there wasn't anywhere to dodge this time.

"Use Vine Whip to block the attack…!"

The Bulbasaur formed a protective wall of vines around itself; the attack impacted, causing Bulbasaur to cringe back, its vines singed.

"Sleep Powder…!"

A burst of spores erupted from Bulbasaur's back, covering Griven.

"Burn them off…!"

Growlithe struggled to shake off the powder; its fur bristled and sparked as its entire body radiated heat. Ash hesitated, unsure whether it was safe to allow Hoppip near the creature. Bulbasaur began to back away, slowly.

_Come on…_

And then, with a roar, Growlithe released the heat energy, knocking Bulbasaur out entirely. The spores disintegrated, leaving the Fire Pokémon entirely exhausted. Ash turned to Erynn. The flash of light dwarfed even the sunlight that permeated the room.

"And… what attack was that…?" Ash rubbed his eyes to clear them off the blinding glare.

Erynn smiled, removing her glasses.

"Overheat," she said simply.

Then both of them were blinded by the flash of green light.

* * *

The lift stopped at the 58th storey. Dave and RJ both tensed as the lift came to a halt.

"We're about halfway there…"

Dave strained to look through the black-tinted glass.

"I think I can see Ash and Erynn… they're down about six floors from us."

RJ raised an eyebrow. Six floors of black glass was still something pretty difficult to see through.

"How do you know for sure…?"

Dave pointed; a bright flash of light issued.

"Probably, anyway."

RJ whistled.

"From the looks of it, Griven's gotten quite a bit stronger."

Their conversation was interrupted by fireworks.

**A/N: I really like that song… FFVII, wasn't it?**

Dave groaned as the fireworks were pulled down a plothole.

Their conversation was interrupted by the doors sliding open with a loud hiss. RJ blinked in the bright light which shone in their faces.

"The sun's blazing bright…"

Dave turned to look in RJ's direction, and then turned back.

"Geez… I'd really like a pair of Erynn's shades about now."

Their two opponents stood on opposite sides; a pincer attack, one would call it. Which was more aptly named than it deserved to be.

A Pinsir and a Scyther faced Espeon and Stalac.

"Ugh… bug-types."

Espeon shared the sentiment; while Dave's was merely tactical though, Espeon's aversion was in a different area altogether. Luckily, Dave had the sense never to let Weedle and Espeon near each other.

"Let's begin, then…"

"Stalac; Earthquake!"

The ground shook as everyone lost their balance. The Scyther flew in the air, however, avoiding the attack.

"You… might want to rethink that strategy…" Dave said, getting up from the ground.

Espeon shook the damage off with its catlike reflexes, while Pinsir was taking a little more time.

"Espeon…! Keep Pinsir busy with a Quick Attack!"

"Scyther… Fury Cutter…"

The Scyther flew forward, its wings abuzz. Espeon's attack drove Pinsir to the ground, but she didn't have long to enjoy it as Scyther dealt a blow to her shoulder.

"That had to hurt…"

Espeon retreated as Scyther helped Pinsir to its feet.

"Stalac; Dig!"

This command had the effect of stunning all the trainers in the area. As one, they looked from the glass floor to RJ.

"You aren't serious, are you…?" Dave hissed.

RJ smiled.

"No, I wasn't."

Before anyone had anytime to react, Stalac had shot through the air like a silent missile, slamming into Scyther.

"Rock attacks; what can I say? They're good against flying bugs. Annoying; flying insects."

Dave grinned.

"Finish Scyther off with a Quick Attack…!"

Espeon nodded, dashing forward.

"Pinsir… Vicegrip, now!"

The timing couldn't have been more precise. Pinsir's… pincers snapped shut around Espeon's body. The red ruby on Espeon's head glowed, but it couldn't concentrate enough power.

"Earthquake again!"

The weakened Scyther only managed to get into the air just in time before Pinsir fell to the ground again, releasing Espeon.

"Now… Confusion!"

The attack wouldn't have fazed it on most days, but Scyther was severely weakened now; the mental attack robbed it of its physical strength, sending it crashing to the ground; motionless.

"Interesting, isn't it?"

RJ looked around.

"That Scyther wasn't knocked out because of Espeon's attack… but because it happened to be in mid-air when it happened."

RJ shrugged.

"Hey, things like that happen."

Dave grinned as he looked back at the remaining Pokémon on the field.

"And I sure am glad they do."

RJ smirked at that, then his expression turned hard again; almost as hard as the gel on his spiky head.

"Stalac; finish Pinsir off…! Magnitude!"

The ground shook again. It said a lot for the constructor's ingenuity that the every floor had been mounted on gyroscopes; fireproofed, soundproofed, bulletproofed, and every other proofed you could think of, they were near-perfect battle conditions. They were even 90 proofed; which explained the inebriation of certain people in the vicinity.

Pinsir stumbled, falling again. This time, Espeon's Quick Attack hit dead on.

The two of them grinned as the green light engulfed them again; the elevator re-tinted, rumbled, and continued its upward movement.

* * *

The two lifts dinged at the same time, as the trainers were ushered into another room. This was twice as tall as any of the other rooms they'd been in. Four trainers stood in awe at their surroundings.

In the middle of the Gym floated a black crystal which revolved slowly as they watched it. It was rough, uncut; yet it shone with a brilliance incredible for something so dark. It was only as they watched it that they realized there was another crystal; it floated along the wall of the large room they were in, a single, circular room surrounded by windows on all sides.

This crystal was white; colourless, yet white. Light from the sun refracted in all directions, presenting a beautiful weave of rainbow colours in the single room. Along each wall there was a wonderfully ornate staircase, leading up to a double door set into the wall, near the ceiling.

RJ checked his Trainer's Handbook, recognizing the two crystals as those portrayed on the black and white that was the Synchro Badge. He nodded at Ash and Erynn, who nodded back.

It was all serious now.

"Who's going in first, then…?" Dave indicated the door.

The two parties stood on the 98th floor, unsure of what lay beyond the portal.

**A/N: For clarification, doors are also portals, since _they_ port you. Oh, and in Soviet Russia, you port doors.**

RJ sighed at the trainers' indecision.

"We'll go first, alright, Dave?"

Dave nodded, a tad apprehensively. Slowly they made their way up the stairs, which, incidentally, were made of black marble.

"I hope they'll be alright…" Erynn murmured.

Ash turned to look at her.

"Well that's a first…"

She shot a look at him, then replied.

"Well, if they aren't then there really won't be any hope for us, will there?"

Ash grinned mischievously.

"Speak for yourself…"

Dave and RJ looked back long enough to see Ash covered in Stun Spore.

**A/N: Well, this chapter's longer… not by much, but it is. I do like leaving it off. The battles, I hope, will be cooler. I need to find some sort of really cool Double ** **Battle**** combo… right now the ones I've done've just been random pairings and really have little coordination at all… so I hope to improve. **

**Either way, I plan to make the atmosphere for the final battle pretty imposing, if not exciting, so stay tuned for the next chapter of Pokémon Go! **

**Somehow, I seem to have more time to write on weekdays. I wonder why?**


	28. Gym: Fluoride Leader

**Disclaimer: This chapter might be horribly short. The project's due tomorrow and we're still trying to rush it out. Considering I actually have less than zero minutes to finish this chapter, it's safe to say I'm sorta washed up. Nevertheless, I shall keep writing; wouldn't like any of you to have to wait too long, now would I?**

**So… Chapter 28 of Pokémon Go! begin!**

RJ and Dave stepped through the double doors, feeling the chill wind as they slammed shut behind them.

From their current altitude, it would be expected that the temperature dropped drastically.

And that was exactly what had happened.

The two of them shivered, winds whipping around their feet as they stood on the semi-sheltered rooftop, facing the two trainers who stood on a platform before them. Another steel-and-glass construct; they really didn't seem to have much else to build with.

They were definitely twins; the resemblance was remarkable. The boy stood on the right, the girl on the left. Both were clad in jackets and scarves; Dave shivered as RJ pulled him against the wall. He could almost detect a smile on the Gym Leaders' lips as they simultaneously pressed a button located to their sides.

A loud whirring sounded as Dave and RJ leapt back from the wall. A glass pane extended from a slot directly above them, meshing with several other panes which extended out from other walls; one by one, the glass roof came together, like a giant jigsaw puzzle. RJ looked in wonder as the last glass panes slid into place, secured by magnets attached to each one.

"This is…" both trainers were at a loss for words. Soundproof, impact-resistant, the winds were nothing more than a whisper outside the glass cage.

"You are…?" This from the girl.

"I'm Dave from Palladium Town," Dave spoke. Though they were across the room, he didn't even have to raise his voice. The acoustics were excellent.

"And I'm… RJ. From the Kanto Region."

At this, all the other trainers looked surprised; the Gym Leaders, however, merely shrugged it off.

"This will be a two on two Pokémon Battle; this Double Battle shall not allow human interference; should a trainer reach out and grab his or her Pokémon at any time throughout the battle, the Pokémon will be considered to have forfeited… is that fine?"

The boy who'd spoken this looked almost bored. He wore blue shades, dressed in an outfit that was almost entirely blue and gold. His sister wore red shades, dressed in a red and orange ensemble.

"Let's begin, then…"

The two trainers tossed their Pokéballs in the air simultaneously, releasing their Pokémon. In the air there hovered a Magneton and a Skarmory. Dave looked toward RJ; the two of them nodded.

"Go… Machop!"

The humanoid Pokémon harrumphed in anticipation. Dave weighed his options, and then nodded to Espeon. The Pokémon took her place eagerly, though Dave noticed the fatigue showing, just a little bit.

"Don't try too hard… Machop's still better rested than you."

Espeon turned to him, seeming to look at him in a new light. Then she nodded.

"Skarmory…! Spikes!"

The command from the male Leader Lyam was unexpected. The Steel-type flying Pokémon dive-bombed over their heads; Espeon and Machop ducked just in time, getting up again to see the Pokémon flying off.

"Eh…? Machop; there're spikes all around you!"

Machop glanced around and found himself cornered; the Spikes were everywhere around him, with next to no space to manoeuvre at all.

**A/N: That was all I got up to before Project Work swamped me yesterday. That's right, with a capital P and W. Anyways, R'N'Rer, if you do feel like asking me questions, it'd be ok to send me an email? Whatever it is, I'm in the +8 region over here. If you haven't checked my profile yet, I'm from Singapore. I'm sorry for the disappearance of yesterday's update, and I'll try to do two today!**

"Machop…" RJ tried to think of a plan.

"Espeon; clear the field of Spikes with a Confusion attack…!"

Espeon nodded, bounding out of the spiked zone with her jewel glowing. The spikes began to shudder as Espeon's power levitated them into the air…

"Magneton! Zap Cannon…!" the female Gym Leader, Leya, called out.

RJ tensed as the attack was released. The great power of the attack, however, caused Magneton to lose control over it as it sailed through the air, missing Machop by inches.

But hitting the Spikes.

As one, the Spikes conducted the massive electricity, forming an electric field around Machop. At the last second, Espeon withdrew her power on the spikes and bounded away from the spread of the blast. A blinding white light ensued as all four trainers covered their eyes.

Machop was still standing, but just barely; he was kneeling, his breathing laboured. As RJ watched him, he realized that the strong electric attack had paralyzed Machop. But he was still standing. Surprised, RJ removed the PokéNav from his pocket.

_Machop's Ability, Guts, allows it to gain strength even as it suffers._

"Interesting…"

RJ reflected on the battle he had had with the Nidoran; at that time, Machop had also managed to pull through despite the poison. His one chance; now to seize it.

"Machop; Karate Chop Magneton, now!"

Machop attempted to rush Magneton, but the paralysis slowed it down.

"Magneton… finish it off with a Thunder attack…"

Magneton erupted in a flash of light as Skarmory flew off to a side to avoid the impact radius. Dave hid his eyes under a hand.

"Espeon; Confusion!"

The cry died in his throat as the attack arced through the air, light without sound. Only the echoes of their shouts could be heard as the attack came crashing down.

"Ugh…"

**A/N: This may sound out of point but I began listening to Vestige by TM Revolution (yes, it's a Gundam Seed Destiny song) about here.**

Magneton crashed into the glass panel, slammed back by what seemed to be an incredible force. As the dust cleared from the thunder attack, Machop appeared through the dust.

He stood there, panting, directly in front of where Magneton had been floating just a few seconds ago. A dark circle of soot behind him demonstrated the power of Thunder's attack.

Dave punched the air and whooped.

"Good work, Espeon!"

Machop lowered his arm, the Karate Chop which had contained enough strength to knock the Magneton out.

RJ looked from Machop to Espeon.

"How…?"

Dave shook his head, his gaze turning serious again.

"It's not down yet…!"

Magneton rose, shaking the damage off; while it was too weak to try another Thunder or Zap Cannon, it still had more than enough to keep itself up.

"Magneton; good. Now… Magnet Body!"

"Skarmory…! Fly!"

Magneton latched itself onto the silver bird Pokémon as the two of them took flight. RJ held an arm out behind him, bracing himself for the moment.

"Machop… get ready to Counter…!"

"Espeon…"

Their adversaries began to descend upon them with astonishing speed. RJ's body tensed, as though to receive the blow in place of his Pokémon.

"Magneton…! Lock-On!"

The three eyes on the Electric Pokémon seemed to focus on a single target. Machop.

"Thunder!"

The attack coursed along Skarmory's body, but the Pokémon was left almost entirely unharmed.

"Skarmory; release it with a Steel Wing!"

"Espeon…!"

Skarmory spread its wings as it flew like an arrow toward Machop; all present knew that the Lock-On was too good to miss. The electrical energy turned the wings a bright blue colour as they began to hum with a powerful resonance. Machop raised his arms in a small attempt at defense. The light entirely engulfed the Pokémon, leaving him no place to hide…

"What…?"

Skarmory and Magneton discharged their energy just inches from Machop. Dave grimaced as Espeon fell to the ground, entirely exhausted.

"A Light Screen…" Leya said aloud, obviously astonished.

"That's… really quite strong…"

Lyam shrugged.

"No matter; Skarmory! Attack with an Air Cutter…! Finish them both off!"

Machop shrugged off the paralysis which afflicted him; there wasn't time for that now. He and his trainer both knew that. RJ ran his fingers through his hair as he issued his next command; it barely made a dent in the hair.

"Darn it; Machop… time to try that stunt we did…"

Machop turned to RJ, who nodded quickly; there wasn't any time left.

"Now… Karate Chop!"

In that instant, Skarmory released a series of slicing winds.

"Magneton; Lock-On!"

The beams of slicing air curved in wide arcs around the two Pokémon as they shot towards them from all angles. With one last look at his trainer, Machop jumped into the air.

And began to ride the blades of air.

"_If they're solid, they can hurt you… but if they're solid, that also means…"_

He had told him that a year ago now. RJ had always been one to think out of the box.

And now it would possibly save them.

**A/N: Oh by the way I'm listening to Bokutachi no Yukue now. Might have something to do with my writing.**

Lightly he landed from one to the next, the numbness rapidly leaving his legs. As blades began to come from the side he somersaulted over them, landing nicely on the next available swing.

RJ watched proudly.

"Not too bad, eh…?"

Lyam cursed, ordering Skarmory to stop. Quick as thought, the attack ceased.

_But not quick enough._

Machop was above it, and on the way down.

"That's it!"

"Magneton; Sonicboom!"

"Machop, dodge it!"

But the attack wasn't aimed at Machop; it wasn't even aimed at Espeon. The Sonicboom acted like a cushion of compressed air, leaving Skarmory bruised but intact.

"Your Machop has some pretty nice moves…" both Leaders nodded, impressed, "… and your Espeon's pretty powerful too; but that won't be enough to stop us."

"Magneton; Sonicboom one more time!"

"Skarmory! Spikes!"

The Flying and Steel-type flew over Magneton as it released a hail of Spikes across the field. With a screech of grinding metal, Magneton released a second Sonicboom, this time larger and more intense than the first.

As Dave saw the Spikes hurtling towards them, he already knew what was going to happen. But he couldn't stop it.

"Espeon…"

"Machop! Get Espeon to safety first!"

Dave looked to RJ as Machop hefted Espeon and leapt to a side, the spikes barely missing them.

"If we're going to win this, we need two Pokémon, not one."

Dave nodded, his brow creased in worry.

"We can't lose this…"

And Espeon seemed to feel the same. Even as he spoke the words, a strange light began to emanate from her body, bathing both Espeon and Machop in the white glow.

"What's… that?"

**A/N: And now it's Pride (also GSD, I know). Wow I'm getting really confused about writing styles. Be happy I'm listening to action-packed music and not romantic tunes.**

RJ flipped his PokéNav open excitedly.

"I think I know… or at least I hope I'm right…"

The PokéNav blipped once again. RJ looked up from its display as both trainers called another attack.

"Magneton…! Magnet Body!"

"Skarmory, Spikes!"

_Wish… this attack allows its user to heal all Pokémon in its vicinity by dint of willpower; however, this attack may only be used in extremely desperate situations._

"That's it!"

Dave watched in wonder as a blue light washed over the two Pokémon, their wounds and injuries healing miraculously. Even now Espeon was getting to her feet, Machop dusting himself off.

"Thunder, Magneton!"

Before either trainer had time to react, the attack was coming straight at them. Electrified spikes spun toward them like missiles.

**A/N: Last time I'll say this, it's Vestige again, and so expect my writing style to keep changing as my playlist does.**

"Espeon; Light Screen!"

The gem on Espeon's head glowed a bright red as a gold sphere surrounded the two of them.

"Machop… Focus Energy…!"

Even as the Spikes clattered ineffectually as their electric charges dissipated against the Light Screen, Machop closed his eyes and began to concentrate.

"Ugh… Magneton; Sonic Boom!"

"Skarmory; Fly!"

The dual attacks from the land and the air cut through the light screen as though it wasn't there. Machop's eyes flickered open.

"Now; Counter!"

In a swift motion, Machop jumped into the air, grabbing Skarmory around its wing and using its forward motion against it.

"No…!"

Even as Skarmory plummeted to the ground, RJ still had one plan left to enact.

"Seismic Toss!"

Machop flung Skarmory with a flick of his wrist, sending it straight into the Sonicboom attack.

"Heh… that's done it."

Skarmory flapped its wings, getting to its feet slowly.

"RJ, you ready?" Dave asked.

"As I'll ever be."

Both of them nodded as they watched their adversaries; both were weak and close together.

_Easy meat._

"Espeon; Light Screen one more time!"

"Machop, Karate Chop! Let's go!"

The two Pokémon raced forward under cover of the sphere of light; Magneton's attacks were entirely useless against them, as lightning attack after lightning attack dissipated against their shield.

"Now…!"

The sphere flickered off as Espeon and Machop both leapt into the air, avoiding a point-blank Air Cutter.

"Espeon; Psybeam!"

Espeon's entire body seemed to glow with a reddish tinge as she released her newfound attack.

"Karate Chop, now!"

Machop's focused energy was discharged in that single, ferocious attack. Somersaulting behind their opponents, both Pokémon landed neatly as the knocked out Pokémon crashed to the ground behind them.

Dave and RJ held their breaths, wondering if it was the end.

Lyam and Leya recalled their Pokémon. The two of them broke into grins.

"We've done it…!"

* * *

Ash and Erynn left the sofas placed around the room and approached the two trainers as they walked down the stairs. Their faces were expectant.

"Did you win…?"

The expressions on their faces were obvious, though. A mixture of delight and relief.

"It mustn't have been too easy then." Ash noted.

Erynn looked from Ash to the two of them.

"If they had trouble, then I shudder to think how we'd do."

"Nah…" RJ shrugged, "I don't think you'll do too badly."

And then the two of them had approached a fourth elevator built into a side. With the Synchro Badge placed into a slot by its side, it allowed trainers direct access down. With a good luck handshake and a nod of encouragement, the two trainers were on their way down.

Erynn took a deep breath.

"Think it's time, then…?"

Ash nodded, and together, they walked up the stairs.

**A/N: Chapter 28's finally done! I hope to finish 29 by today, but it probably won't be done so soon. Projects are over at last, so while I still have my commitments, I will probably get back into my normal writing schedule. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, though!**


	29. Gym: Fluoride Badge :: RJ Leaves

**Disclaimer: Just to make it clear, now I don't own anything. At all. Not even this computer on which I'm writing this. This is property of my school. Which is funny, because I really should be writing this at home. I mean, this thing doesn't autocorrect Pokemon and turn it into Pokémon for me… okay now it does.**

**Hooray, it's another new reviewer; one problem though, how many of you all aspire to become Pokémon Masters…? Because both Erynn and Ash are going to try to be 'The Very Best'… if you know what I mean. **

**In the end it'll be a conflict of interest because… well, everyone wants to win, don't they? That's why the anime was so uncomplicated; no one who became permanent friends with Ash (aside from Richie) ever actually participated in the League at the end.**

**Cowardly, if you ask me.**

**Either way, I haven't got much time left (in school, anyways) but I guess I'll try starting this; Chapter 29 of Pokémon Go! A problem; I can't listen to the fight themes here, so my writing might be a bit less than inspired.**

The two trainers stepped into the glass arena, which was, surprisingly, empty.

"Dave and RJ couldn't have defeated them _that_ thoroughly…"

Erynn's musing was interrupted by the pneumatic hiss of another sliding door; Ash's attention turned from the construct of the arena to the two Leaders as they walked calmly in. Even as they did, the boy, who Ash took to be Lyam, sighed wearily.

"Two groups already… and so early in the morning too; how irritating."

They were both holding Pokéballs in their off-hands; apparently they'd just finished healing them. The dark glass that was the floor of the arena still bore marks from the past battle.

The girl, Leya, reached over and pressed a button set into the side of the glass; a bright blue flash blinded them for an instant as it spread across the surface on the glass.

"Wha…?"

Even as his vision cleared, Ash noticed that the battleground was now entirely clear of debris. Erynn removed her shades to give Ash a withering look. He put his hands up in mock surrender.

"Blame me for not joining the fashion craze… fine."

Then her expression grew serious again as she stared at the trainers across from them.

"Erynn from Rubidium City…"

Ash looked from her to the trainers, and then understood.

"Ash from Palladium Town…"

The two Leaders cut them off.

"You're here to challenge us to a Pokémon battle… yes, understood."

Erynn shrugged helplessly as Ash sighed.

_I'll never understand these clichéd lines…_

"One Pokémon each, Double Battle then…"

Erynn nodded. Ash looked to Ditto.

"Fine. Let's begin."

Throwing their Pokéballs up in the air, they released their Pokémon in a flash of red immateria. Erynn did the same, releasing Griven as Ditto hopped forward.

The two red shapes took forms; a Rayquaza and…

Ash's mouth dropped open.

_No, not really._

A Graveler and a Rapidash.

"They've got the type advantage here…" Erynn cautioned.

Ash grinned as he awaited their first attack.

"Not for long…"

**A/N: Hooray. I'm home. Going to start this battle with Bokutachi no Yukue… hey, guess what? I got an idea that you might recommend me battle themes to listen to; might influence my writing style.**

They watched each other across the battlefield, waiting for the first attack to come. The sunlight winked behind a cloud; as it lit the expanse of the field, Lyam was the first to break the calm.

"Rusch! Attack with a Magnitude…!"

Three things happened as the Graveler began his attack; the Rapidash and Griven simultaneously leapt into the air, while Ditto nodded at Ash's command.

"Farfetch'd, and fly up high!"

"Griven…! Take Down!"

"Feldt; protect yourself with a Fire Spin!"

The air around Rapidash erupted into flames as she released a Fire Spin attack around her body, forcing Griven to land prematurely, rolling and whirling as he stood to face Rapidash.

"Rusch, Rollout!"

Erynn turned as Graveler rolled straight at Griven.

"Ditto; dive and Bubblebeam, now!"

The Farfetch'd squawked once as it dived straight at the Graveler.

"Now…!"

Even as Ditto transformed, it released a burst stream of bubbles point-blank at Graveler.

"Feldt; help Rusch with a Quick Attack…!"

The attack impacted with enough momentum to knock the rolling Pokémon aside; seconds later, both Rapidash and Ditto-Azumarill were sent tumbling as Rapidash tackled it full on.

"Bubble and disengage…!"

The Rapidash, Feldt, jumped back as Ditto released a stream of bubbles at her, allowing it to disengage and regroup. Now the battle could begin in earnest.

**A/N: Ignite's now playing. Interesting how these things go.**

"Feldt; Flamethrower now…!"

"Rusch, Rollout!"

Ash and Erynn called the command at the same time.

"Scatter!"

"… Ditto, strike Graveler out of it with a Triple Kick…!"

"… Growlithe; do the same with a Take Down on Rapidash!"

The Rapidash fired a stream of flame straight at the two Pokémon even as they dodged out of the way. Like a runway, it allowed Graveler to roll right through unhindered. The Hitmontop-Ditto had no chance to get at it.

Griven slammed his full weight into Rapidash, taking her by surprise. Erynn's fists were clenched as she watched the two Pokémon tussle.

"Rapidash; Quick Attack and disengage!"

"Griven; Bite…!"

The Fire Pokémon clamped his jaws on the larger Pokémon before she had a chance to get away.

"Fire Spin…!"

"Griven; disengage, quick!"

The Growlithe leapt back just in time as the Rapidash erupted into flames once more.

**A/N: Pride's playing. It's quite nice. Notice my playlist is only four songs long.**

"Rusch; use a Rock Slide attack…!"

The Graveler floated into the air as Ash watched on by.

"Ditto; stop the attack with another Bubblebeam!"

Ditto nodded, turning its upper half into an Azumarill to attack with greater speed.

"Flamethrower!"

A precise burst of flame hit the Bubblebeam, causing the whole thing to extinguish into steam. Ash cursed as Ditto was forced to retreat; Rapidash bounded forward to meet it. Unhindered, Graveler released a rain of rocks from its body, pelting the stunned Growlithe.

"Reflect, Ditto…!"

Ditto nodded as it jumped, transforming into Kadabra. Ash smiled, remembering that battle. As the rocks continued to fall, Ditto-Kadabra levitated, striking its spoon against air and watching as it turned solid.

The Growlithe recovered as Ditto de-transformed, landing on the ground a few feet from it.

"You okay…?"

Erynn nodded, as did Griven.

"Then it's time to counter with an attack of our own…"

"Feldt… Agility!"

"Rusch… Harden…!"

The two Leaders braced themselves across the field as their Pokémon readied themselves to receive any attacks.

Ash nodded at Erynn.

"Follow my lead… Ditto; Lock-On, now!"

Ditto nodded, turning into a Magnemite as its single eye focused in on the target. Ash nodded at Erynn.

"Now…! Griven, Take Down!"

The two Gym leaders were entirely surprised as Griven shot itself straight at Magnemite, sending it flying straight into Rapidash.

"Now… Bubblebeam!"

Even as the two Pokémon crashed into the wall, Magnemite began to glow white, firing a stream of Bubbles straight at Graveler; the Rock Pokémon took a direct hit, sent staggering a few steps back despite his Hardened exterior.

"Feldt; strike back with a Quick Attack."

The command didn't carry any hint of emotion this time; she stated it so it sounded matter-of-fact; it could've been anything…

"Feldt, eat your greens,"

"Feldt, do the groceries later,"

"Feldt, decimate that Pokémon."

The Azumarill barely had time to respond as the Rapidash slammed her hooves against the glass, stopping her forward motion entirely. Ash watched in openmouthed silence as, in a breathtaking display of skill, the Rapidash somersaulted off the wall, dealing the Pokémon a heavy blow as her front hooves struck home.

"Counter your fall…!"

It was all Ditto could do to transform into Hitmontop, pressing a hand against the ground as it began to spin like a top, countering its downward force with an equal amount of centrifugal force.

**A/N: Bokutachi no Yukue's playing again.**

Graveler advance on Ditto as it de-transformed, looking from one Pokémon to the other.

"Griven…! Agility…!"

The Growlithe howled as the adrenaline pulsed through his veins, its reaction and attack speed bolstered by the ability.

"Now…! Ember, and Take Down!"

Griven saw the battle in slow motion as Rusch charged straight at Ditto; the immediate threat was obvious. With breathtaking speed he ran toward the Rock Pokémon, spewing a series of fireballs at the Rock Pokémon; distracted, he raised an arm to protect himself as Griven jumped off him, sending himself crashing straight into Feldt.

"Repeating this again…?"

Ash looked to Erynn, who nodded.

"Not exactly…"

"Ditto; Seismic Toss!"

Growlithe slammed Rapidash into the glass wall again; this time, with equal speeds, Rapidash had no time to defend itself. Growlithe disengaged from the Fire Pokémon as she rose to her feet.

"_Here it comes…!"_

Ditto-Machop yelled as it released Graveler from its grasp.

"No…!"

Ash punched the air as Rusch crashed straight into Feldt. The Gym leaders tensed as they watched the dust clear.

But the two Pokémon were still standing. Erynn shrugged as the two of them got ready for the next skirmish.

"We've weakened them already, anyways…"

"They've weakened us too," Ash reminded her. She turned on him, in mock disapproval.

"And since when have you been so pessimistic?"

He ignored that last; refocusing on the battle. Graveler and Rapidash were already up.

"Triple Kick, Ditto!"

Ditto rushed forward, transforming into Hitmontop as it did; as it flew through the air, it began to spin ever more rapidly. Its limbs were a deadly blur as it flew into them.

"Feldt! Fire Spin!"

"Rusch… Harden!"

As the Graveler adopted a defensive position, Feldt rushed forward, countering Hitmontop's spin with a counter-spinning Fire Spin attack.

"Ugh…"

Ditto jumped back as both attacks lost momentum, nullified in mid-air.

"Thunder Wave!"

The Pokémon transformed in mid-air, a crackling lightning attack raining down on the two creatures. While Graveler was unaffected, Rapidash was temporarily paralyzed.

"Griven! Join in with a Take Down!"

Ditto de-transformed, in a second changing its shape yet again. Now it was a Tangela as it waited for its cue. Griven rushed in to fill the gap, slamming itself against Rapidash.

"Now… Overheat!"

"Rusch; get Griven off Feldt…!"

But Lyam's command came too late; the attack sent both Pokémon flying. While it was ineffective, it was more than enough to knock Rusch out of the competition; he had been holding on to Griven at the time.

"Ugh… Rusch…"

"And now, finish off Rapidash with a Bite!"

Leya seemed to have been expecting it.

"Agility…! Get out of the way!"

Erynn didn't realize what she meant until it was too late.

"Selfdestruct!"

The attack sent Graveler and Griven flying. Erynn bit her lip as she recalled her Growlithe, Lyam recalling his Graveler at the same time.

"Come on, Ash… we've _got_ to win this."

Ash grinned.

"And I thought _I_ was the one letting you down…?"

Erynn mock-punched him.

"Oh, stop that already."

**A/N: Vestige is playing! Time for strange big ending!**

"Ditto; let's finish this! Agility!"

Once more, Ditto's form glowed white. It glowed with a light that seemed to emanate from within, and then nodded briefly at Ash.

"Time to give it all we've got! Take Down!"

Ditto nodded, flames bursting from its body as it transformed into Growlithe, bounding forward.

"Feldt; Quick Attack!"

The two Pokémon rushed at each other, until Ash shouted a command that was entirely unexpected.

"Fly, now!"

The Growlithe sprouted Pidgeotto wings as it took flight seconds before impact; Rapidash grinding to a halt as she stared up at it.

"Now; Thundershock and Bubblebeam!"

Growlithe's arms glowed white as they transformed; time seemed to stand still as a magnet formed on one side, and a blue bubble in the other. Twin orbs of yellow and blue erupted from either side even as the Fire/Lightning/Water/Flying Pokémon swooped down.

"Feldt…!"

"Ember!"

The Growlithe released the blast of flame from its mouth mere centimeters from Rapidash. The attack blew her into the ground. And then the Bubblebeam and Thundershock impacted.

Ditto emerged from the cloud of dust a Growlithe, leaping into the air and whirling to face the knocked out form of its defeated foe.

Leya recalled her Pokémon as Lyam raised his hands and clapped slowly. Growlithe turned to Erynn, winking briefly before de-transforming. Ash looked away from the battle, down at his feet.

"Whew…"

Erynn looked at him strangely, her head tilted to a side.

"Was that so bad…?"

He looked up at her, smiling a small, sheepish smile.

"I wasn't sure that'd work, really."

Erynn shrugged.

"It did; and I guess that's all that matters, really."

They looked up to see the Gym leaders approaching them. Lyam was still grumbling something about two losses in a row and how he wasn't getting paid anywhere near enough.

"Here you go…" Leya spoke this time, handing each of them a Synchro Badge. Ash stared at its black and white design.

_Synchronization… complete balance._

"And here…" Lyam removed a disc from his pocket, handing it to Ash.

**TM 68: Sacrifice**

"Just as well I give you a TM only Ditto can use…"

"Oh…? What does it do…?"

The PokéNav at Ash's side blipped. He inserted the disc and checked its description.

_**Sacrifice**, a Normal-Type ability. By using this ability, a Pokémon may restore the energy of any Pokémon on the field, but at a cost to its own energy. As far as current records go, this ability may only be used by Ditto._

Ash nodded, only to be interrupted as the PokéDex plug-in kicked in.

_Wow, you actually managed to defeat the second set of Gym Leaders… though if I were you, I'd be more grateful to Erynn than –_

Ash shut it, noticing that Erynn was starting to turn a little embarrassed. Leya cut it off as she handed Erynn a badge and TM of her own.

**TM 72: Aura**

Avoiding Ash's PokéNav, she inserted the disc into her own, waiting as it processed.

_**Aura**, a Fire-Type ability. This ability creates an orb of flame around the Pokémon, gradually raising its attack and special defense. However, it slowly saps the user's energy._

Erynn accepted the TM, shaking hands with Leya as she did.

The two of them stepped back through the sliding doors, pausing for a moment as they watched the two crystals revolve about each other one more time.

"Erynn…?"

She turned to him as he pocketed his PokéNav, her eyes expressing her unspoken question.

"Yeah… what my PokéNav said… thanks."

He spoke the words hurriedly, though he didn't know why he had to at all. But she brightened up as he said them, turning a shade of pink which actually went quite well with her purple-and-black ensemble.

"Likewise… thanks, a lot."

And she meant it, too.

* * *

Dave approached them as they emerged from the lift.

"Where's RJ?" Ash asked.

Dave shrugged helplessly.

"He wanted to go on ahead first; he said he didn't have to say goodbye, since he probably was going to see us again, anyway."

Ash laughed at that.

"That's probably true…"

Erynn looked between the two of them.

"Well? Are we going yet, then?"

Dave nodded, Espeon at his feet.

"First to the Pokémon Centre… we've still got an hour before lunch… and then we'll go meet that friend of yours…"

Ash shuddered, remembering Leon.

"If I were you, I wouldn't be so excited…"

Which earned him a smack from Erynn; his only consolation was she didn't seem to hit anywhere as hard as she had before.

**A/N: And that's what you get from prejudging people!**

**In the next chapter, Michelle will meet up with them again; don't judge someone unless you've known them for more than a single day!**

**I'm sorry about RJ's abrupt disappearance, though; don't worry, he'll appear a bit later on... but for now, as a Pokémon** **Master in training, time waits for no trainer!  
**

**But either way, I'm glad you all reviewed… or at least, hope you all will. Please review and all; after all, I don't work for nothing you know!**

"_**You don't work at all…"**_

**Oh do be quiet…**

**Shoves Ravaya back into a neighbouring plothole**

**Yeah, anyways, that's about all for this chapter, and I do hope you enjoyed it!**


	30. A Change of Mood :: Complications

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews… if you did review. If you haven't, shame on you. No, not really. Either way, I hope you _did_ enjoy the last chapter.**

**Oh, and Dragon Master Cohl, that last was in case you wondered about how I felt when writing that… and also setting the mood and everything. If you have the songs, playing them while reading really makes it a lot cooler. And also to illustrate how music tends to change my writing styles.**

**But, other than that, can't say much more. I've just saved my computer from the end-of-the-world! Which involved me uninstalling Internet Explorer. Somehow that screwed the whole thing over, so I had to use the System Restore function.**

**It's only half an hour to my bedtime, so in reality I shouldn't write; but I will. So… here goes the next chapter of Pokémon Go! Chapter 30, marking a month's worth of writing (not counting vacation and project days…)**

She met them at the café after the phone call. Stepping under the parasol, she sat in the empty seat between Dave and Erynn. Coincidentally, it was the seat furthest from Ash, who was covered in a plethora of multi-coloured shopping bags.

Or not so coincidentally.

But Leon was surprisingly docile as he sat on the ground beside Michelle, though he did see fit to growl at Dave. Once.

Erynn greeted her enthusiastically, Ash less so. Dave nodded politely and shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you."

She took his proffered hand and shook it.

"Likewise. I'm Michelle, and you… must be Dave, aren't you?"

Dave nodded. Somehow she didn't seem as bad as Ash or Erynn had told him. Michelle stood up again, only after about half a minute of sitting down.

"Are we going yet, then?"

Ash paused, lost in thought. Erynn shrugged and hefted her bag onto her shoulders as Dave did the same.

"Wait… aren't you supposed to give your ominous warnings of doom…?"

Michelle shrugged.

"Sure… if you want me to…"

Ash covered her mouth before she could say any more.

"Don't. It might just kill us."

Michelle sighed as she pushed his hand away.

"Fine… if you say so…"

Looking at her curiously, Ash pulled his backpack up upon his back, reaching for the shopping bags. On his third attempt he managed to lift them off the ground.

"Ditto… a little help…"

Sighing, Ditto hopped off its trainer's shoulder, transforming into a Machop to help. Between the two of them, they managed to lift all the bags; while Ditto was a near-perfect replica of Machop, it didn't have any of his developed muscles.

"Heh… that's done it."

Erynn bit her lip in a moment of indecision, then walked over and helped to relieve them of their burden. Shrugging, Dave walked over to help as well.

"You know, this'd be a lot easier if we had a Steelix to travel on…"

Erynn shrugged; but then Michelle laughed.

"You're forgetting something, aren't you…?"

The three of them stared at her in incomprehension, but Ash's was all the deeper as he realized that hers was a laugh of true mirth.

* * *

_Processing… complete._

Ash sighed as the empty shopping bags lay scattered all over the floor.

"That's done it, then…"

Dave nodded, sighing as he massaged his aching arms.

"Just about."

Erynn turned away from the PC; to Michelle.

"And I thought PC storage was only to store trainer items…?"

Michelle shook her head no.

"They can store practically anything you want to have stored; up to a certain extent, of course. Your storage space isn't unlimited, you know. Converting real life matter into electricity; data… isn't complicated, but requires huge amounts of energy."

Erynn could sense that this was turning into a scientific lecture. She wasn't wrong.

**A/N: And take note! This data has a point later on in the story…!**

"Taking it for granted that Emc2, even a small Pokémon like… Hoppip… actually is a huge amount of energy. When that mass is translated into energy, it requires a huge amount of power simply to contain it; Pokémon like Porygon, for example, make use of these energy surges to ride on currents through the WebWave."

**A/N: The WebWave is basically a construct like our current Internet, only far more advanced in terms of accessibility, power, and of course the storage system.**

Ash blinked, while Dave stared blankly, and Erynn looked at her feet.

"You… don't understand, do you…?"

The three of them nodded slowly. The points weren't as complicated as all that, but that such a concept had existed that they'd never thought about; they couldn't really comprehend the idea.

"Whatever…" Ash said, dumping the shopping bags into a nearby waste recycler, "we've got her clothes taken care of, and that's all that matters."

Michelle shook her head.

"The incident today… you remember that, don't you?"

Ash looked to Erynn, who nodded.

"You… saw us?"

Michelle made a small sound in affirmation, turning to face the three of them.

"I was with my folks at the time… though this is a big city; anything that affects Immaterion Corporations indirectly affects the rest of us too."

"What about it…?" Dave asked.

Michelle looked at the three of them intently, and then began.

"It helps to have a father who's actually a researcher at the Corporation… anyways, it turns out that a few months ago, a friend of his had managed to finish the prototype of a new, high-capacity processor…"

"Exactly _how_ high-capacity are we talking, here…?" Dave asked, curious.

Michelle nodded.

"That was exactly it; they'd found a way to make a processor as small as those found in regular Pokéballs, only that it had enough power to store an entire storage box worth of Pokémon."

She broke off, looking out the window before continuing.

"You see, the reason why Pokéballs can't catch some of the more powerful Pokémon is because they simply don't have the capacity to store so much data… Great Balls, Ultra Balls… even that Master Ball that the Silph Corporation created… they're all based on that one same concept… but this ball…"

Ash nodded; that much he'd understood. Erynn shook her head, unsure.

"You mean… you can catch Pokémon with an even higher success rate than that of the Master Ball…?"

"No… not exactly…" Michelle sighed, removing a Pokéball of her own from her belt.

"There's nothing more than a one-hundred percent success rate, is there…?" she began tossing the ball up and down as she spoke, "it's merely a prototype, but… the ball was rumoured to be able to make PCs entirely obsolete… imagine being able to contain twenty Pokémon, in a single ball on your belt…"

She pocketed the ball. Dave spoke slowly, cautiously.

"But that's not all, is it…?"

Michelle smiled; a mixture of satisfaction and resignation.

"The people that took this technology; you've probably heard of them before…"

"You mean… the Tentor Fog…?"

Even as Dave spoke, Ash remembered their name from various news reports over the past few years; they weren't involved in anything like petty theft or the robbing of Pokémon, but when they pulled off any large heist, they'd always hit the headlines.

Ash had no doubt that, if the information they'd heard was released to the public, it'd probably be just as big a sensation. Michelle nodded.

"Yes… but no one has any idea what they plan to do with it. Either way… it's something to be worried about…"

Ash nodded, even as Dave looked at her curiously.

"How can you say all of this with such calm…? You seem almost… happy."

Michelle shrugged.

"Always expect the worst; you never get surprised that way. Besides, there really isn't any point in worrying, is there…?"

Dave and Erynn both nodded, while Ash looked a little more hesitant. It wasn't what she'd said, but how she'd said it.

"You seem completely out of character today…"

Michelle thought a moment, and then shook her head.

"No… I was out of character yesterday… today, I'm pretty much fine."

Ash nodded slowly, digesting what she'd said.

"So… what… you were in a bad mood yesterday…?"

She nodded, smiling.

"That's exactly it."

Ash nodded, and stood up. Then he fell down again as a Manectric tackled him out of nowhere. Michelle laughed again; it was getting to seem more normal now.

"Oh… not Leon, though. He's just that way."

* * *

"The Great North Road…" Ash breathed into the still, afternoon air.

Michelle was walking backwards, her face constantly turned toward the metal-and-glass skyline of Fluoride.

"What are you doing…?" Dave asked uncertainly.

Michelle turned to him, a trace of amusement on her face.

"This'll probably the last time I'll be seeing this place in a long time…"

Ash looked up from replying to an email from his parents; it was pretty hard to walk and type at the same time, anyway.

"Don't worry… we'll be back here sooner than you can say…" he thought for a moment, then decided against saying what he was about to say.

"Well; we won't be gone too long, anyway."

Erynn turned from her position at the front to face the rest of them; Espeon and Ditto were walking alongside her.

"You all okay back there…?"

Ash nodded, before tripping over a rock in an attempt to write an email, walk, and look at Erynn at the same time. He hastily got to his feet as two trainers walked past them. The tip of a black coat brushed his nose.

"Hey…" he said, struck by a thought.

The other three looked around at him.

"What if I told you I'd seen two members of the Tentor Fog…?"

There were incredulous looks all around.

"You mean… you have?"

Ash shrugged, shaking his head.

"Just checking."

He shook his head clear of any such thoughts as they continued their journey along the large, paved road. The trees which grew above their heads gave them a slight respite against the heat of the sun.

They were just another group on the road now; trainers were just leaving Fluoride after the Trainer's Square event. But it was merely a trickle of human traffic… contrary to popular belief; trainers didn't wait for other trainers to appear just so they could battle them.

Finishing the message and sending it, his movement came to an abrupt halt and he walked straight into Erynn, sending her sprawling to the ground. Ash could only feel thankful that it hadn't been Michelle he'd rammed into, or it'd have been Leon he'd have to deal with.

Erynn got up from the ground, dusting herself off.

"You know, I don't mind you following in my footsteps…" she said, brushing the sand out from under her jacket, "but next time, try waiting till I get out of them first."

The four trainers turned to face Fluoride one last time. They stood at the top of a steep slope leading down; stairs had been cut into the road at this juncture, with a strip of flat ground for cars built off to a side. Ash sighed as he turned away from the sight.

"In the distance; there…" he pointed.

Dave nodded.

"Aluminate… that's the next town, isn't it?"

Michelle shrugged as she turned her back on Fluoride as well.

"Well… I guess it's time, then…"

**A/N: Chapter complete at last! Thanks for your reviews and all; hope you all didn't mind this chapter… it's background-building, at the very least.**

**Oh crud. No internet connection… I'm stuck until it comes back up again. Well, I'll get to work on my next chapter tomorrow, anyways…**


	31. Tentor Operative

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. In Soviet Russia, Pokémon do not own me.**

**Heh… a new reviewer; Mossstar! Glad you're familiar with the Russian Reversal Theorem. In Soviet Russia, Pokémon catch you!**

**Anyways… sorry for the late chapter update; somehow my computer entirely screwed up… and I only got to get it up just now.**

**Anyways, the roads to different cities are rarely short; else there wouldn't be much point in having roads. The characters will be on the road quite a few days, though there'll obviously be rest stops along the way. The villains have arrived in earnest now; though it still remains to be seen exactly what their plans are.**

**Ah well… I'll keep you wondering as I start writing my next chapter of Pokémon Go! And so… chapter 31, begin!**

Erynn sighed as yet another cyclist passed them by.

"Oh come on… it's not like we had that much money…"

The four of them were still walking; the sun hung in the middle of the air, a golden ball exuding the mildest of warmth. The temperature was neither too hot nor too cold, but they couldn't stop to enjoy it at all.

"The Great North Road… they call it," Dave said, reading from his handbook.

"Pokémon common around this area are those of the Caterpie, Zigzagoon, Oddish, Rattata, Spearow and Hoothoot families. Less common are Pineco, with rare sightings of Yanma."

Ash looked around; the grass was certainly think enough to hide any Oddish or Zigzagoons, while the trees were definitely habitats for any of those others.

"No rare Pokémon…?"

Dave shook his head.

"You wouldn't expect to find any unique Pokémon so near a manmade path, would you…?"

The conversation was joined by Michelle, who had a hand on her Pokéballs as she walked. Erynn shook her head, stroking Griven's fur absentmindedly as she walked beside her. Ash was bringing up the rear; his pace seemed a little slower today.

Dave had a hand on an empty Pokéball, while his other held the Trainer's Handbook from which he read by. Espeon was on something like a hunting-mode; she was deadly serious as she loped along by Dave's side.

They passed another group of trainers, their conversation animated as they passed our heroes by. Ash turned to look at them as they passed; none of them he recognized.

Even as they did, Michelle broke off the random conversation she had been having with Erynn; both of them fell silent as they felt that strange lack of society within the group.

"Hey Ash… anything wrong back there…?"

The two of them noticed his vague discomfiture. Michelle turned as well, so the two of them were staring at him. Which was pretty impressive, since they were still walking.

"What…?" he said uncomfortably.

"Do you know something…?"

Ash shook his head no.

"Nothing; I just… feel maybe we shouldn't leave things lying down like that…"

Erynn released a breath as she stopped walking, letting him catch up.

"You can't… in the first place, the Tentor Fog are dangerous. Secondly, you know next to nothing about them, and thirdly…"

"…thirdly we're not heroes. And we don't have to as though we are." Michelle finished, rather realistically.

"Fine…" he sighed, "I don't think I saw anything… anyway."

_Or thought I did…_

**T E N T O R F O G**

"We've got it running…"

The brightly lit room suggested a hospital, or perhaps some scientific laboratory; it was sterile to the point of being asphyxiating. The air was cold; it hung, dry; its tang was almost metallic. There were only four people in the room, but only two of them were breathing.

"Downloaded… and complete," the other one said, as he detached the Pokéball from the mainframe of the computer which took up a large portion of the room.

Plugging it into his own PokéNav, he waited as his Porygon transferred the information. The other one was still hunched over the controls, which hummed gently under his touch. They were dressed in lab coats that were almost identical to the still, seated figures which lay on their respective swivel chairs.

Almost identical; theirs didn't have blood or a bullet hole in them.

Even as the man pocketed his PokéNav, he sighed. It had been too easy. A single bullet; silenced, of course… two flashes of light, and it was over.

A bright blue light began to pulse softly from the console. The one hunched over the controls made a slight motion with his shoulder as his fingers flew across the screen, motioning for his partner to check it.

"Systems… online… specs checking…" he murmured as he ran his finger across the touch screen. In an instant the printer to a side began to whir into action; it churned out pages after pages of paper, each one written on in minute fonts.

He turned as a soft pneumatic hiss sounded; the man who had been manipulating the controls gave the OK.

"It's done."

He walked over to a panel by the side, which had just opened. Reaching in, he removed a small machine from it; barely the size of a good novel.

"You've got the data…?"

The other man nodded, holding the sheaf of papers in his off-hand. The PokéNav was in his pocket.

"Fine… now that's done with, we can –"

He never got to finish his sentence. There was a sharp spurt, slicing through the silence like a knife. He pocketed his gun as his ex-partner crumpled to the ground. Silently he walked forward, taking the box-shaped machine from him.

"Ember, Houndoom…"

The large hound materialized from its Pokéball, immediately sending a stream of scorching flame at the corpse. With cold precision, it attacked until there was nothing left of it but a fine, white dust. The man's face was expressionless as he incinerated the papers together with the man.

"That'll do…" he whispered, returning the Pokémon to its ball.

"All we needed… was this."

He cracked the box open, removing from the mass of circuitry a small fragment of what appeared to be crystal; it was barely the size of a fingernail.

His gloved hands calmly placed the crystal in his pocket as he set the rest of it down on a table. Maintaining the same composure, he carefully removed the two Pokéballs from his former partner's belt.

"No doubt he won't be missing them…" he said to himself, releasing one of the Pokémon.

"Alakazam; get me out of here."

The Pokémon didn't seem surprised at all to be ordered around by a different man than the one he'd known. After all, he'd been trained to obey orders. How could he think otherwise…?

The man blinked out of existence with a Teleport, leaving the place in a state of disarray. The door swung loosely on its hinges; of course there was no one there to close it. It was not until the next morning that it would be closed; but by that time, another door had just opened.

**T E N T O R F O G**

The four of them sat at a rest stop, awaiting the arrival of their food and drinks. The table they sat at was one of those booths, built for six people to eat in relative privacy. With Espeon, Leon and Ditto sitting at the table with them, though, it was relatively cramped.

Their seats were by the window, so they could see the trainers going past pretty clearly. Ash didn't recognize any of them that had passed so far; RJ was probably a lot further ahead, while his fellow beginners were probably still a bit of the way behind.

_I've come pretty far… haven't I?_

Ash looked thoughtfully at the Synchro and Atmos badges he'd collected.

_Only eight more to go…_

The Elem Region was relatively large, which fifteen Gyms in total. While one only had to go to ten of them, there was no clear path to choose, since none of them were based strictly on type.

He looked around at the three friends he'd met. Erynn; he was stuck with her because of Seryn. Dave… he was a chance encounter in the Rubidide Forest… and Michelle was there just because Erynn had chosen her for a friend; though possibly it was her natural cynicism which had brought this upon him.

Dave was watching the trainers as they walked past; once or twice they would step in, but relatively few had their Pokémon out of their Pokéballs. Dave had Espeon, Michelle had Leon, and Ash had Ditto, but they were the exception rather than the norm.

_I sure have come a long way…_

_Thirty and a half chapters, to be exact._

Ash shrugged off the buzzing sound as the feeling of fatigue. After all, he hadn't eaten in hours.

Erynn was humming some tune to herself, while Michelle was drawing in her sketchbook. Ash and Erynn had always wondered what exactly it was she drew in it. If either of them had to make a guess, they'd pick on something dark-themed.

"And then there's the Tentor Fog…"

As though in response to his question spoken aloud, the television placed against the bar flickered off its rerun of a Pokémon Docudrama and went onto a live feed from the Magnes Television Station.

"We interrupt your incredibly boring television schedule to bring you some breaking news. The long arms of the Tentor Fog, recently reported breaking and entering the Immaterion Corporations Headquarters in Fluoride, have recently struck again.

"This time, the target has been a R&D Laboratory located on Radya Island, located to the southwest of Fluoride. If any one has spotted any suspicious figures recently, please do not hesitate to dial…"

The report faded off into the background as Ash turned his gaze away. The Docudrama came back on; to Ash, it sounded remarkably refreshed, as though the short break had done something for it. As he dug into his food, he tried not to think about it.

_The Tentor Fog… they're never good news…_

**A/N: The next chapter is done at last! I know it's short, but I've been gaming for a bit of a stretch today… anyways, my mum's given me her old PDA, so from now on I'll be able to write away from home! Testing it out tomorrow, so I hope to get to write more for the next chapter!**

**Oh and I really hope you enjoyed this one. It was dark, and pretty short, but it _does_ add atmosphere…**


	32. PokéTrouble :: The Problem With FedEx

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. But I'm glad I don't. Or I'd not be writing this. I'd be designing new games. Oh right. Fine... I'm not glad.**

**Testing out my mum's PDA... well, it works... thanks for your reviews, all of you. Actually, just WickedWolf09 for the latest, but yeah...**

**Anyways, I know the Tentor Fog seem rather... evil, which they are. But trust me, there's a method to their evil-ness... a hierarchical system exists, one where only the strongest may live, and the weak are... expendable, shall we say.**

**But enough with the scary details... I'd expect you'll learn more as the story goes on... and if you're frustrated by Ash's reluctance to speak freely... well then you've probably never considered what dangerous criminal organizations can do to you.**

**At any rate, I enjoy writing the battle scenes too, but I realized that if I write every battle scene as spectacularly, it'll begin to seem commonplace.**

**So I'll keep to narrating trainer battles, mostly; unless I have some sort of rare Pokémon to introduce... but not legendaries, naturally.**

**Whatever it is, the A/N seems plenty long from my perspective through this PDA, so... Pokémon Go! chapter 32, begin!**

"Well this _is_ nice..." Erynn commented.

The room was pretty well-furnished, with two quaint four-poster beds positioned against the wall; which was itself decorated with beautiful sepia murals depicting Jirachi and Mew in ephemeral surroundings; flowing curtains and glossy oak furnishings completing the look.

Michelle took a breath of the conditioned air as she set her bag against one of the beds, effectively claiming as her own. Leon leapt up onto it, as if to clear any lingering doubts as to its owner.

Erynn laughed uncertainly, setting her own things down on the other bed.

"Then I guess this one's mine, then..."

They were stopping for the night. The rooms were nice, but then they cost money. Inns like these were subsidized by the Organization, but the fee still was still less than cheap.

The few trainer battles they'd had along the road could only go _so_ far.

"Well _that's_ done with..."

Michelle laid her clothes out in preparation for the next day as Erynn lay on her bed, looking up at the ceiling.

"We're due to meet downstairs in another ten minutes..."

She got up off the bed, stretching. Removing a Pokéball from the belt which lay beside her, she released the Oddish within.

"Idyll; Sweet Scent."

The Oddish, which she'd only recently nicknamed, released a burst of pink effervescence, engulfing the room in a cloud of beautifully perfumed spore.

Erynn breathed it in with a happy sigh. Michelle sighed as well, but hers was less than happy.

"I don't think you should've done that..."

Before Erynn could respond, the two were interrupted by the appearance of Ditto. The pink Pokémon seemed intoxicated by the scent.

"How did you get in...?"

But the trail of pink slime from under the door was answer enough.

"Sweet Scent... we'll have our room full of Pokémon by tonight..."

Erynn scratched her head sheepishly, Ditto standing bemusedly by her side.

"At least we'll have a nice-smelling room if that ever happens..."

And with that, she recalled Oddish, taking Ditto in her arms to wake it from the trance. Michelle watched her, askance.

"Won't that stain...?"

She shrugged, lifting a hand to tap against the hard leather which constituted her sleeveless vest.

"I doubt it..."

Stepping out of the room, she left to find the one trainer hapless enough to lose Ditto just like that...

* * *

"That... that was actually pretty good..."

The remains of their dinner lay on the table between them. The meal four of them had been one entirely vegetarian, as per the wishes of the two vegans on board.

The price had been paid in part by the three other trainers, but largely by Erynn, her having a Gym Leader for a sister.

"Sis _did_ warn me about spending any more on clothes, though..." she admitted sheepishly, "but food is a necessity so..."

Dave was the first to rise from his seat. Thanks in large part to Espeon. After they'd succeeded in getting him off the rafters, the question remained. What were they to do...?

It was the time of the day when it was too late to continue on the journey, yet too early to turn in.

"Anyone brought cards…? Dave asked hopefully.

**A/N: I'm home at last! PDA didn't allow me to use italics or bolds… it's a pretty old model. Reformatted everything, anyway. **

The reply was a resounding negative. No one had even _thought_ about it.

"What about a Double Battle…?" Michelle suggested.

**A/N: And I just checked my mail. Seventeen new reviews…? Oh my. Erm… thanks for the reviews, Bigfoot! Hope you had a nice break… and it really is storey, rather than story. In relation to floors, anyway. Hooray for perfect scores! Thanks… really.**

**And on a side note, about Tentor Fog OCs… I actually intended to ask if any of you wanted your OCs to join the dark side… but if that's not to your liking feel free to come up with a _few_ members; so long as they aren't just comic relief like Jessie, James and Meowth in Team Rocket, I'd be happy to include them.**

"You'd probably win, anyway…" Erynn pointed out.

Ash turned to the large glass window which made up the façade of the inn. It was dark; the convenience store beside the inn was probably the only other building around here. Trainers were still walking along, but even these were flagging. Even the most tenacious of people couldn't walk through the Great North Road at night: There was at least one identifiable travelling salesman in the crowd.

"Fine…"

Erynn stood up, pulling at Ash's arm until the boy followed. Michelle and Dave reacted to her sudden resolve by standing up as well.

"Where're you taking him…?"

Erynn ignored the question, looking instead at Ash.

"How many Pokémon do you currently have…?"

Ash looked at her a moment.

"Is that a trick question…?"

Erynn would've smacked her head, but she was holding on to him.

"No. And you've only got two, anyways. Ditto and Hoppip."

The two other trainers seemed to get where this was going.

"So…?"

This time Dave stepped up.

"So… it's high time you got another one. Two won't get you through the Pokémon League."

**A/N: Actually, two can. My Mew and Mewtwo team beat the Elite Four in Yellow. And… oh what a coincidence. **

**Eefree's review just came in. It (I shall refer to all reviewers as It unless they give me reason not to) asked me when Ash was going to catch another Pokémon. Well, now, if the other characters have their way, anyway.

* * *

**

"Don't you guys have anything better to do…?"

Michelle shrugged.

"Not really."

"Pretty pathetic, isn't it?"

"But if the next few Gym Battles are going to be Double Battles, we can't have you slowing everyone down…" this last one from Erynn.

"Fine…" Ash said, defeated, "Ditto, go knock a Pokémon out and drag it back here."

Everyone else stared at him blankly. Ditto included.

"I'm meant to find a Pokémon… in this…?"

They were standing in a large field off the Great North Road. The place was mostly flat ground, with tall grass growing all around them. But it looked entirely desolate.

Erynn sighed, removing the Pokéball from her belt again.

"Sweet Scent, Idyll…!"

Even before the effervescence had time to descend, a Poochyena popped up, lulled by the attack. It swayed as Ash approached it with Ditto.

"There's your chance…!"

But Dave hadn't finished speaking when two more Poochyenas appeared before him, flying out of the grass.

"What the… Espeon…!"

As Espeon deflected their attacks with a Light Screen, Michelle turned to face a Noctowl and two Zigzagoons. Her look hardened.

"Leon; let's get to it!"

Erynn looked from Oddish to the Pokémon that surrounded them.

"The Sweet Scent was too strong…"

She jumped as a Gastly materialized directly in front of her.

"Ditto; be careful…!"

Ash stood back as two more Digletts erupted from the ground beneath them. Looking up, he saw the two Hoothoots.

"Why do we get into these situations…?"

He let his hand drop to his waist, releasing Hoppip.

"Griven! Come out and help!"

Erynn released the Growlithe, illuminating the battle site.

"Mudross; come on out!"

Dave selected the Pokéball from his belt, releasing the creature, which instantly melded into the ground beneath their feet.

"You too, Houndour!"

The four trainers stood back to back, facing the circle of Pokémon. With the effect of the Sweet Scent wearing off, they were no longer attracting more Pokémon; but those that were already attracted began to think clearly again.

And attack.

"Ditto; Counter! Hoppip, Leech Seed!"

"Griven; Take Down! Oddish… Stun Spore!"

"Espeon; Confusion! Tackle, Mudross!"

"A Spark attack, Leon… and Houndour, use Bite!"

The four trainers simultaneously called out their attacks as the Pokémon rushed in at them. Eight against seventeen. It was going to be pretty close.

**T E N T O R F O G**

It wasn't the best place to stay, but the man had no reason to go any further. The package was heavy on his arms, and while it would've been easier to have sent it via Pelipper, it was vital that his client received it.

"Innkeeper; a single room, please."

The transaction was carried out; money was passed between the two, and he left to go up the stairs. The package he carried in his hands like a dead weight; he had been walking for hours without rest.

The attacks had scared him. How could they not have? Two men, working in a high-security laboratory, killed in a single night. And the man had left no trace. None at all. He placed the package in the room's safe with trembling hands; he knew the consequences when he had first undertaken the job, but he had not known the nights.

Slowly he closed the door, stepping away; he closed the cupboard door gently, heaving a sigh of relief. He loosened his tie and removed his clothes, stepping into the shower, waiting to feel the relaxing rush of water over his body, easing the stress and anxiety of the day…

The water came, but it was anything but relaxing.

The man barely had time to scream before the acid came rushing down; the sound was muffled, barely noticed by the man who now stood in the main room. His eyes were only for the Magnemite which was even now picking the lock.

A soft blip on the computer monitor; a reprogramming, wiping in seconds. The door swung open.

Satisfied, he removed the package, hefting it in his arms before tapping a green and blue Pokéball against it. In a flash of red immateria, it disappeared. Attaching the ball to his belt, he calmly opened the main door and walked out. After all, he looked just like any other Pokémon trainer.

A gust of wind blew through the open window, even as the clear acid in the shower swirled, gently down the stream of twisted misdeeds.

**A/N: That's it. The next chapter's up, and it's a mass PokéBattle! Get ready for really cool fun!**

**And the total review count is now twenty. Hooray. I hope no one gets nightmares from the Tentor Fog incident in this chapter; I could've done a lot worse... heh.**

**Anyways, please review because I'm almost four hours late for bed. Woo. And just for the record, I'm really slow at using a PDA.**


	33. Chaotic Encounter :: Ralts

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. And thank goodness for that. Or you'd all be really jealous.**

**Thanks for the reviews! It looks like my reviewers have come back in full force… for which I'm glad. Staying at home today, so I'll probably have lots of time to write this. I've gotta make it good!**

**R'N'Rer… I did receive the email, but I forgot where it is already. Could you PM the details again…?**

**The battle… looks like everyone's pretty much anticipating it. I'll try my best not to disappoint! Loading Windows Media Player now. For those who don't like the sudden shifts, I'll be displaying my playlist here.**

**Rowdy Rumble (Kingdom Hearts 2)**

**One-Winged Angel (FFVII: Advent Children)**

**The Immaculate (Dirge of Cerberus)**

**Dragon God (Chrono Cross)**

**The Legendary Beast (FFVIII)**

**The Extreme (FFVIII)**

**Ignited (GSD)**

**Pride (GSD)**

**Bokutachi no Yukue (GSD)**

**Vestige (GSD)**

**And that's about it. Just to warm up for the fight scene, after all. Rowdy Rumble really fits this one.**

**And, without further ado, I guess I'll begin! Chapter 33 of Pokémon Go! is here!**

The battlefield was immediately a field of chaos. Ditto-Hitmontop countered the flying tackle from the Poochyena, only to be set upon by a Zigzagoon from the side. Hoppip's Leech Seed came too late, missing the Pokémon by a yard.

The Fire and Lightning Pokémon provided the only substantial light in the place; one kept to each side as they fended off their attacks. Erynn watched as another Ember attack sputtered ineffectually against the elusive Digletts.

"Get into the air, now!"

Griven jumped, releasing a stream of flame which illuminated the battlefield below him, dodging the Digletts, but not the Noctowl who swooped down out of the darkness of the night.

"Espeon! Psybeam and get Griven down! Mudross… the Digletts!"

Griven's fall slowed, as the jewel on Espeon's head glowed brightly. The Digletts squealed as the grip of the soil around them tightened. Mudross barely had time to release them before they unleashed a Magnitude attack, sending everyone but the fliers off-kilter. Griven fell to the ground, Espeon's concentration broken.

"Ugh… Leon…!"

The Ground Attack had shaken the Electric-type, but he was stronger than that. As a Hoothoot swooped down on him, he released a burst of sparks, sending it flying backwards.

Slowly the trainers and Pokémon got to their feet; the Wild Pokémon were up first.

"They're coming for us; too!"

Ash dodged as a Poochyena charged at him, falling to a side, almost into the Gastly. He choked as the miasma enveloped him.

"Espeon! Psybeam!"

The Gastly was sent flying back by the fierce psychic shock.

"This isn't working…"

Dave hadn't had time to finish speaking before a Zigzagoon flew at him from behind. Turning, he watched as Houndour slammed it to a side.

"You're welcome," Michelle added as Leon got to its feet. The two of them stepped forward to face a Hoothoot and a Diglett.

"Hoppip; Leech Seed!"

The Pokémon shot another seed, and this time its aim was true, wrapping itself around a Poochyena. Its two brothers growled, turning to face them.

"Ditto; Counter the left one!" he shouted, running forward to meet their attack.

Ditto nodded, the Hitmontop form slamming its jaw shut with a swift kick to its chin, then sending it flying with another blow. Ash threw a punch at the Poochyena, feeling the blow connect only to be hit back by a tackle to his side.

"That… didn't go exactly how I'd expected it to."

"Griven…! Aura…!"

The call was unexpected as the Growlithe ran forward at the Poochyena harassing Ash, the aura of flame building up around itself.

"Take Down!"

It was over in seconds as the Pokémon slammed directly into the Poochyena, making that four down for the count.

"Ditto; Bubblebeam!"

The Hoothoot flew back, surprised, as Erynn turned to see how narrowly the attack had been averted. Erynn thanked them with her eyes even as Ditto transformed back into the pink blob. Ash got to his feet as more Pokémon crept into view.

"Is there no end to this…?"

The other trainers were kept from using their most powerful attacks because of the small confines; there was no chance to Overheat, to Thunder; let alone a Magnablast…

"Mudross; Mud Slap!"

The Pokémon sliced through the soil, engulfing its adversary in a tide of earth. That also meant it was grounded against Electric attacks. Michelle found that out a little too late as Leon was sent flying back by the Zigzagoon's Flailing.

"Ugh… didn't mean for that to happen; sorry."

Michelle shrugged, spraying Potion on the injured Pokémon.

"It's fine… you ready, Leon?"

Dispatching a third Hoothoot, Houndour rushed back to join them.

"We're taking this in two steps then…"

The Pokémon were still coming. They were flanked on both sides by an increasing number of Pokémon, even as the defeated slunk away. Ash sighed.

"Did you have to call all the Pokémon in Elem to this little gathering…?"

Erynn shot him a withering glare as Griven released a burst of flame his way.

"Whaa! Fine… sheesh…"

But she pointed, and he turned to see a blackened Gastly joining its comrades.

"Now I don't owe you… Idyll! Stun Spore!"

The yellow spores floated through the air, paralyzing an entire group of five hapless Pokémon. The two of them looked at each other before nodding.

"Ditto!"

"Griven!"

"Overheat!"

The last command they spoke together, sending the group of paralyzed Pokémon flying. Their respite was short-lived, for there were still plenty more to go. Hoppip shot another Leech Seed at a Hoothoot, bringing it to the ground.

"We've got to think of some other way…"

Espeon dodged another claw, releasing a bolt of psychic energy its way. The Noctowl staggered back, undefeated, and still more than ready to fight.

"At least we're getting good training here…"

Michelle stood between her two Pokémon as they dispatched enemies on either side.

"And it's also getting pretty tiring."

Espeon's energy was flagging as she returned to Dave, watching the Pokémon around them. Looking Mudross's way, she helped dispatch the Diglett it was fighting. The Earth Shaker Pokémon looked at the multitude of Pokémon around them, its eyes glowing a bright white as…

Dave rushed up to stop it.

"Not here… there're too many people you might hurt."

It relaxed, the light fading from its eyes. As another Pokémon; a Houndour this time; approached, it melted into the ground, leaving its trainer's grasp.

"They can't be attacking just because of you that Sweet Scent, can they…?"

Michelle rolled her eyes.

"There's also the fact that we're slaughtering dozens of their kin in cold blood for no apparent reason whatsoever; but yes, there's a possibility that some secret evil conspiracy has caused the Pokémon to lose any trace of sanity they have and relentlessly attack us."

Ash glanced around; Michelle was getting tired of this battle as much as they were.

"I'd say we finish this fast…"

Erynn turned to him even as Griven and Idyll stunned and burned the Pokémon around them.

"And how do you suggest we do that…? Ugh; Griven, return!"

She recalled the dog Pokémon, who was being assaulted by three Noctowls.

"Hoppip, return… lend me the use of your Oddish for a while…"

The two other trainers retreated until the four of them were back-to-back.

"What's the plan…?"

Michelle looked at Idyll.

"You're… going to…?"

Ash nodded at her unspoken question.

"Ditto! Throw Oddish in that direction with a Seismic Toss!"

Before Erynn could protest, Machop-Ditto flung Oddish into the wind.

"Idyll! Sweet Scent!"

Even as the Oddish flew, it released an overpowering scent across the scattered groups of Pokémon. As one they followed.

"You know this could end up getting that Oddish killed, right…?"

Ash groaned; more pessimism was the one thing he didn't need at a time like this.

"Now… Erynn; recall Idyll!"

As the pink effervescence fell slowly to the ground, Erynn caught Idyll in mid-flight. Ash turned to Ditto, now.

"Agility… and Flash!"

The pink Pokémon nodded as it disappeared in a flash of light. At the same time, Ash nodded to Dave.

"Ready for that attack…?"

Dave nodded, giving the command even as he covered his eyes. A short distance away, a bright flash of light illuminated the night sky. Erynn calmly removed her shades.

"A few seconds more…" Ash whispered as he waited for Ditto to return.

And then it happened. The Magnablast shook the ground, slamming into the stunned Pokémon and sending most of them flying. Ash watched in dismay; the attack had come too early.

And then he noticed the _two_ spires which had erupted from the ground; the twin craters.

"You don't mean to say…?"

* * *

The four of them approached the hole, looking at the multitude of unconscious Pokémon around them. Ditto climbed up onto Ash's shoulder as he looked sheepishly at the Pokémon around them.

"I'm only taking one…"

The rest of them shrugged.

"Fine. Choose your Pokémon."

Ash stared at the field of Pokémon in front of him. In the darkness, he tried to identify a speck of colour in the field of black, gray and white around him. Dave put a Pokéball to the Poochyena at his feet, claiming it for his own.

And then he saw a flash of movement in the distance; of white and green. Before he could think, he'd thrown the ball. It spun through the air, curving to slam into the Pokémon from a side.

"Wow… you should play baseball or something…"

Rushing forward, Ash picked the Pokéball up. It was still warm from the capture. He aimed the sensor of his PokéNav at the ball and brought up the PokéDex function.

_Ralts; the Feeling Pokémon. This Pokémon has the ability to sense the emotions of its trainer, and responds likewise._

"It's a rare Pokémon!" Dave exclaimed.

Ash looked at the picture on the PokéDex screen.

"Well… it doesn't _look_ very impressive…"

Erynn slapped Ash's forehead.

"Ow… what was that for…?"

Erynn looked at him innocently.

"I'm not exactly sure; must have been a muscle twitch…"

Michelle looked between the two of them, and then laughed.

"Now that that's over…"

* * *

Dave and Ash's room was much like that of Erynn and Michelle's, only without the smell of Sweet Scent. Ditto was gone again; Ash wondered just why it liked Erynn so much.

Dave lay on his bed, reading from a Pokémon Trainer's magazine which the hotel had many old copies of. Ash sat cross-legged on his bed, reading the latest email his mother had sent him.

_Dear Ash,_

_Congratulations on your second badge! Thanks for replying to the last mail. I heard there was something going on near Fluoride; hope you're alright. I'm glad to hear you're travelling in a group; I've a lot less to worry about, that way._

_Your father's busy with another project now; it's getting pretty busy around here. The Organization's decided to build another Gym in this area! No, your father's not going to be a Gym Leader, but he's designing it, and it'll be big, just wait and see._

_But it'll be a few months before the Gym is done, so I'm not sure how long it'll be before we might see you again. And I've done a little check-up on Aluminate…_

The next few lines of her message read like something out of a tourist brochure. Places to go to relax, eat, native Pokémon… all packed into a single email. Ash finished typing the reply and sent it.

Closing the PokéNav, he looked at the two Pokémon who were sitting on his bed with him. Hoppip was sleeping, as usual, but the Ralts was looking directly at him. Feeling vaguely uncomfortable, Ash waved hello.

The Ralts made a slight sound, one that might have been friendly or hostile. Ash sighed.

"Another Pokémon… you know, I wasn't very thrilled about catching you, either. But since we're partners now… we might as well make the best of it."

The Ralts watched him, unmoving.

"You might as well know my name… I'm Ash."

The Ralts looked at him for a moment, tilting its head to a side.

"Ralts," it said.

Dave turned to look at him.

"Well; there's a breakthrough…"

Ash shrugged helplessly as the boy turned back to his magazine.

"And this… this is Hoppip."

The pink Cottonweed Pokémon just lay there, asleep. Ralts looked between it and Ash without saying a thing. Ash turned to Dave.

"You think this is meant to be my new partner then…?"

Dave looked between the two and shrugged amusedly. Espeon leapt off the window sill and turned to her fellow psychic Pokémon.

"_You are…?"_

Ralts turned at the telekinetic question. She looked uncertainly at Espeon a moment, then responded.

"_Ralts."_

There was a moment of silence, which meant more to both than the short conversation. It was after that that Ralts finally broke the silence.

"_How do you stand being around humans…? There's so much… destruction and chaos…"_

Espeon recalled the fight from a while back, empathizing with the Ralts. She hadn't enjoyed that one bit.

"_It's not anyone's fault, you know… your trainer means well."_

Ralts nodded.

"_I know; but that doesn't change anything, does it…?"_

**A/N: And so Ash gets a Ralts, a third member of his team… and an unwilling one at that. Ditto and Hoppip are simple case studies, this Ralts less so. Will she actually come to be a part of the team…?**

**And also, sorry if the battle wasn't as cool as you all anticipated it to be, because it was meant to be all over the place and stuff; you can't expect two sides, straight on battling, because that's not how it's meant to be.**

**But other than that, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's the first time I've been done so early, so I'm happy. I hope you lot are, too. Please review!**


	34. Implications and Complications

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. Booo. On a side note, neither do you.**

**More reviews! I'm hoping for more, anyway. Writing this while not paying attention during Chinese lesson, but I hope to see more by the time I get back... none so far... Xx**

**Anyways, about Ralts... I like it because of its empathic abilities... to be able to sense the emotions of any person is really cool. Also Gardevoir because they're really loyal and devoted to their trainers.**

**Thanks for the villain-guy, Bigfoot12310. Skately, wasn't it? I don't know if I'll be using the purple-and-black uniform... that's Erynn's department! But the rest I'll be happy to include once I'm done with the preliminaries.**

**Heh... the teacher's sitting behind me right now... but it doesn't really matter. I'd answer any questions in your reviews when I get home in the A/Ns... but for now I guess I'll content myself by starting this; the next chapter of Pokémon Go!**

He awoke to the morning light streaming through the window which overlooked the Great North Road. No rude awakening from Erynn, for once.

Stretching, he turned and heard a commotion outside the inn. Curious, he walked to the window. Ralts followed, levitating to the window's height even as he placed a hand against it; behind him, Dave awoke as well.

Two things caught his eye immediately. Firstly, there were three police cars parked outside the building. Secondly, there was a swarm of Yanmas parked outside the neighbouring window.

The latter was easily explained; Erynn's fiasco from the day before. The former, though, less so.

Dave yawned as he stepped up to look, the wide window-sill just managing to fit both boys and their Psychic Pokémon.

"Think the two are related...?"

Ash shrugged.

"Possibly, but I doubt it..."

He highly doubted that Officer Jenny's team would arrive just because of a Yanma infestation. If the bolts of flame shooting from the window were anything to go by, the situation there was pretty much under control.

"Ugh... I think I'll go take a shower first..."

Dave left for the bathroom as Ash continued watching them. The officers didn't even seem to notice the pile of K.Oed Yanmas lying in a heap beside them.

_It must be pretty serious..._

Ralts and Espeon just watched; they knew better.

* * *

"Griven; Overheat!"

The Fire Pokémon blasted another wave of Yanmas back, before retreating to allow the Houndour through.

"Boone; Ember attack."

She didn't seem very enthusiastic as she called the attack out; she seemed more interested in the drawing she was working on, only glancing up occasionally.

Her newly-nicknamed Pokémon, though, more than made up for it by toasting the remaining Yanma in a single attack.

"That's done it..." Erynn sighed.

Michelle finished her drawing, looking up as she snapped it shut.

"I guess that'll teach you to use Sweet Scent so indiscriminately..."

Erynn opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't find the words. Only for a second, though.

"Fine... but, when did you name Houndour, anyway...?"

Michelle shrugged.

"I decided that if they're going to be my permanent partners, they might as well have names... after all, you did nickname your Oddish, didn't you...?"

Erynn nodded.

"Any others...?"

She removed the two Pokéballs from her belt.

"Leon, Boone... and Blitz," she said, as she released the respective Pokémon from their red-and-white prisons. The Jolteon shook herself off; sparks flying from her body.

Erynn nodded slowly as she considered the as-yet unnamed Magikarp and Abra on her team. A fresh commotion brought her running to the window again.

"Are the Yanma back...?" Michelle queried, recalling her Pokémon as she prepared to head for the shower.

"Not hardly;" Erynn replied, "it looks like something's up..."

She pressed her face to the window as she watched the innkeeper speak with the Officer Jenny in charge.

His gestures were wild, and he looked more than a little nervous. Something big must have happened for him to be so nervous. Erynn hoped it had nothing to do with the Tentor Fog or, even worse, their night-time PokéMassacre.

She heard the sharp sound of water hitting stone tiles as Michelle turned the shower on. She saw the pink Pokémon, Ditto, still asleep on her bed.

But she couldn't know of the dark undercurrents this event would pull them into. How could she? Only the author could claim to know. But he didn't. Not really.

* * *

**A/N: I'm home at last! Long day… thanks for the two reviews!**

There was a loud knock on the door. Dave almost fell off the window sill in surprise. Espeon turned to nose at the door as he approached it; Ralts waited by the window sill. Ash was still in the shower; the water made a sharp, crackling sound as it hit the stone tiles.

Toweling his hair dry one last time, he opened the door. A woman stood in the doorframe; she was dressed in a navy police uniform with several white stripes emblazoned along each side. A tag attached to her chest identified her as _the_ Officer Jenny. A Growlithe sat at her feet, looking singularly alert.

"How many occupants in this room?" her question was curt; it demanded an answer.

"Err… two; but including our Pokémon, five," Dave replied, hesitant not because he couldn't count, but because he was entirely surprised.

At that moment, the bathroom door swung open, and Ash stepped out, pulling on his OPL jacket as he did. He turned to see Dave and Officer Jenny, and then did a double take.

"Whoa… is something the matter…?" he spoke uncertainly.

Officer Jenny turned to him, her face livid.

"YOU JUST WIPED OUT THE ENTIRE POKÉMON POPULATION IN THIS REGION!" she screamed.

After which, she took out a gun and shot them both. In his imagination.

Officer Jenny turned to him, then nodded and spoke.

"We're currently conducting an investigation regarding…" she trailed off, deciding to go ahead with the next question first.

"Where were you yesterday at eight in the evening?"

Dave answered for the both of them.

"Both of us were out around the plains to the east of here; near the edge of the woods."

Officer Jenny made a note in her book, and nodded for them to continue.

"The two girls in the next room were also with us; you can check with them."

At this, Officer Jenny raised an eyebrow. Not the best alibi they could come up with.

"No…! We were… training our Pokémon. Not…" Ash said, trying to avoid the fact that they'd probably knocked out a whole lot of them as well.

The officer laughed a bit, and then sighed, serious again.

"Fine… it's not in my place to judge on that matter; did any of you see a man with a green Pokéball, by any chance…?"

Both of them shrugged, shaking their heads. They hadn't really paid attention to anyone around them at the time. Ash was reminded uncomfortably of Ditto's old ball transformation; he was lucky that Erynn had turned it blue, so even if it did change…

The Officer nodded, noting their names. Then she looked the both of them in the eye.

"I've already checked with the girls, anyway. Your story holds."

The door closed behind her as the two trainers looked at each other, confused.

"What was that about…?"

* * *

She stepped out of the bathroom, zipping her leather top up as Michelle closed the door. As the door shut, she looked up at the sound; there was something ominous about it. Michelle sighed wearily as she stepped away from the door, walking over to her bed and sitting down. Her red hair hung around her shoulders as she finally got down to tying it up.

"Who was that…?"

Erynn sat down on her own bed, being careful not to sit on Ditto; she had no idea how it'd feel to have the Pokémon plastered against her pants, but she had a feeling it wouldn't be pleasant. For either of them. Michelle looked up as her fingers deftly finished the job.

"Someone's died," she said flatly.

Erynn's eyes widened.

"You mean, the officer told you…?"

Michelle shrugged in response, absentmindedly scratching Leon's head.

"I didn't really need her to; it's all in the eyes… that expression…" she shook her head, "but the police are a lot more jaded."

In another few minutes, they were packed up and ready to go. Ditto waddled out as the four trainers met in the corridor. Ash and Dave looked as though they'd been waiting for some time. At least they'd the courtesy to wait without knocking.

"Did Officer Jenny come to talk to the two of you…?"

The two of them nodded; confusion was evident on their faces.

"Who do you think killed him…?"

At that, the confusion on their faces doubled.

"Someone was murdered…?"

Michelle shrugged; beside her, Leon was remarkably quiet.

"I can't be sure if it was murder… but chances are it was a death."

Ash looked to Ditto, who had waddled over to stand by his side.

"Ralts… this is Ditto. Ditto; Ralts."

He made the introduction short. Ditto smiled at Ralts good-naturedly, the Psychic Pokémon bowing her head in response.

"Well… that's that done with…"

The noise from the lower levels could be heard even from where they were. Ash turned toward the stairs which led down to the lower level. Dave was already halfway there. Michelle shrugged.

"We might as well find out what the commotion is… probably whatever it was that killed the guy might be waiting to kill us too… but hey; it's not like we've got anything better to do…"

Erynn smirked as Ash groaned.

_It's going to be one of those days…

* * *

_

The blue-and-white police tape could've been the same tape plastered around every other crime scene in the region. The same blue background with the same white strip through it… the same red-and-white Pokéball printed at regular intervals along it…

_So. Not the Pokéballs._

The four of them stood outside the room, the room which looked so much like their own. Erynn shuddered at the strange smell which emanated from the room.

"… Concentrated Victreebell acid."

Ash spoke the words with little feeling; the three looked around at him.

"Highly corrosive with organic substances, and not very common. I've only smelt it once before…"

Erynn took a step back, feeling a little faint. The rest of the crowd followed as the stench got stronger; they parted like water for the police officers as they carried a bucket covered with a large leather cloth. The murmurs grew louder; Ash caught snippets of the dialogue around them.

"… the body…"

"… wonder… it was…?"

"… connected to the…"

"… important… wanted from him…?"

The four of them stepped back as the police officers walked right by them. The stench was overbearing; he fought the urge to throw up as Michelle thumped Erynn on the back behind him. And then they were past. Dave looked at their retreating figures with more than a little curiosity.

"Think it might have something to do with the Tentor Fog…?"

The words elicited a flurry of response from the others in the crowd; soon it became too loud for them to have any kind of private conversation. Michelle led the group down the stairs and into the lobby, the Pokémon helping to clear the way in front of them.

* * *

The inn's restaurant was crowded; remarkably so. It would've been hard to say the death hadn't been good for business. Somehow, the four of them finally managed to get a seat in the corner, where they wouldn't be so easily disturbed. Erynn watched as Dave, Ash and Ditto ate with as much good appetite as they normally did.

"I can't believe you guys can still have any appetite after that…" she sighed.

Michelle had her sketchbook out again, her pencil flying across the page without her even looking.

"Don't worry about it… we're not dead yet, are we…? There's only so much of a chance that we might die in the same way; and while it's possible we might die in some other extremely imposing circumstance, it's comforting to know Officer Jenny takes such good care of her subjects."

Erynn shot her a look.

"That was just morbid."

She nodded.

"Couldn't help it."

Ash looked to Ralts, who seemed remarkably distanced from everyone else. Her eyes were hidden from his, but he couldn't help but feel there was something else about the Pokémon.

_This Pokémon has the ability to sense and replicate the emotions of its trainer…_

_Am I like that then…?_

He dug back into his food, unable, or perhaps; unwilling, to think.

**A/N: A series of short shorts. Pokémon Go! is starting to veer towards a darker side… I've tried to add a few funnies to make it a bit more lighthearted, but don't worry, this gloom won't last long… after all, this is only the beginning…**

**And I'm not going to grin evilly. It just isn't me. Instead, I'll just say I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and review! Adding a new side to Ash; he can't just be hit at and bullied all the time… there'll be a few twists as this story comes along, but like I said before, I'm not exactly sure what they'll be, or even where they'll be, myself. **

**I'm happy for my PDA; which allows me to write anytime; anywhere. But I'm happier for the reviews you send me, and while you mightn't like certain portions, I hope you'll give your feedback nonetheless! Though I feel the lightheartedness of this story will never be fully redeemed…**


	35. Not to Battle :: Initiation

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. Then again, if I did, you'd have a whole lot of cool new Pokémon. Or maybe I'm just ripping Pokémon off Nintendo's yet-to-be-released Pokémon Topaz. Yeah, and maybe I ate your baby.**

**Thanks for the latest review, WiekedWolf09! You're the only reviewer I caught last night, seeing as I'm in class now...**

**The Tentor Fog are indeed going to make their presence more pronounced, and strike a lot closer to home, too... but then again I shouldn't say too much too soon. Suffice to say I'll try holding off the major conflicts for now; they're building, but slowly.**

**And I've done the first poem in a "Poems From..." series! Hope you liked it, or, at least, appreciated the way it was written... it mightn't be exactly PokéFiction, but I'll try to add a bit more of that particular element later on.**

**But I've said too much; ah well, Pokémon Go! chapter 35; onward!**

Crowds still thronged the inn as the four of them left the building, the commotion drawing more and more trainers, which in turn drew more attention to the place.

The police were gone, but there were still many who hoped to find out more. The four of them were jostled back and forth by the merciless tide of human traffic, trainer and non-trainer alike.

With all of the trainers in the area, one could hardly expect there not to be a trainer battle. And there were several already taking place; trainer battles, that is.

The four of them ducked with the crowd as a Ninjask buzzed over their heads. It was closely followed by a larger Pidgeotto, together with several ejaculations of outrage by the less conservative of the crowd.

"Fia! Wing Attack!"

The voice (and the nickname) was unmistakable. It was Fior; the Pidgeotto-girl from before.

To one side stood the tall, leaning boy they'd seen on so many occasions. With him was the small boy Dave knew as Terry, and the red girl Taera.

Ash was the first to notice, and pointed them out to the others.

"They're four of the six trainers who left from Palladium with me... Dave too, but he didn't get his Pokémon from the Prof."

"But if you're the fifth... who's the sixth...?"

Ash shrugged as the Pidgeotto dodged a Silver Wind attack.

"I think we should get out of the crowd first..." Dave said, eyeing the two flying Pokémon nervously.

"Fair enough…"

* * *

**A/N: I'm home again! And late.**

The four of them walked over to where the three trainers were spectating. They eyed their arrival with more than a little suspicion; but that wariness turned to surprise as they noticed Ash. Ralts floated beside him, looking apprehensive.

"Hey… aren't you that guy…" the tall boy seemed to have lost his train of thought at that; "that strange guy with a Ditto…?"

Ash sighed. What a name. But it was better than strange guy _without_ a Ditto, at any rate.

"This is it; right here. Ditto… and my only two others are Hoppip and Ralts…"

He released Hoppip from its Pokéball, while Ralts continued to float at his shoulder level. The boy nodded, releasing a Raticate, Slugma, and Gastly of his own.

Erynn looked between the two of them.

"Now…?"

Overhead, Fia brought the Ninjask down for the count. The two boys watched the Pokémon's flight as it crashed into the ground, then nodded.

"Now."

It was a challenge he could hardly refuse.

"A Double Battle, then…?"

The boy shook his head.

"Better. Three Pokémon out; Triple Battle, I'd call it."

Ash tensed; he had no idea if Ralts would even work with him in the battle. If he could use just Hoppip and Ditto he knew he'd have a better chance…

"Fine. Three on three it is."

The others looked on from a side.

"Come on… you can do it, Ash!"

"You'd better not lose…!"

"Half your money, down the drain…"

Everyone but Ash stared at Michelle as she made that comment. It was at that moment that Fior ran back to join the remainder of her friends; she was in the process of stashing her money in her wallet.

"Hey… guys…… oh…" she slowed down as she saw the scene before her.

Terry and Taera motioned for her to stand with them. She complied, her eyes never leaving the battle. She recognized all the trainers there but one.

"What brings you here, anyway?" Ash called from across the field. The boy shrugged.

"We heard the ruckus from a while back; we were staying at the inn a short way up from here. Were you staying there…?"

Ash nodded; he didn't see where it was going but he didn't really want to fight that much. They were standing at opposite ends of what just happened to be the same place they'd battled the horde of Pokémon the day before.

Scorch marks indicated where the Fire and Electric Pokémon had done their work. It had been flattened from their encounter; ironic, because now it perhaps was the choicest site for a battle anywhere in the vicinity.

"Let's begin then…"

Ash nodded, his head tilted to a side.

"If you will…"

The other side shouted a few words of encouragement to their friend, but it wasn't really the time, anymore. Both trainers were strategizing; the few crucial seconds which were the lull before any all-out battle.

The boy looked up first.

"Terror… Night Shade attack; Fang, Hyper Fang!"

The Gastly shook as its form shimmered; a wave of darkness emanating from it despite the bright sunlight.

"Ditto; Flash! Hoppip, Leech Seed!"

The white Tangela appeared again, the Flash ineffectual in the daylight, but managing to dissipate the darkness nonetheless. Hoppip charged its Leech Seed even as Fang hurtled toward Ditto, its sharp teeth bared.

"Therma; stop that Hoppip with an Ember!"

It was too late; the attack was released, streaking toward the Raticate and tangling it in a web of vines. It crashed to the ground, struggling to break free. But the bolt of flame was still heading straight for Hoppip.

"Ralts…!"

But the Pokémon didn't need any help from him; teleporting within a few feet of the Hoppip, it created a sphere of protection around the two of them. A Light Screen attack. The Ember fizzled against the powerful shield. Before Ash could get another attack in, though, the Raticate broke free.

"Fang; Super Fang attack on that Ralts! Terror; use a Lick on the Ditto and let Therma get an Ember in!"

Ash looked at him in astonishment. How he could remember his Pokémon's nicknames so well was beyond him. But the crux of the matter was that three of his Pokémon were actively engaging three of his.

"Ditto; Agility, Lock-On and Bubblebeam…! Ralts…"

He turned to watch in wonder as Ralts held out a single hand. Immediately the air around her rippled, as time slowed almost to a crawl; the Raticate's attack lost all impetus as it fell painfully to the ground.

"What the…?"

A Disable attack. Raticate struggled against the force of the psychic power but could not break free. Shifting his attention to his other Pokémon, he watched as the slower Gastly struggled to keep up with Ditto's pace.

The single eye of the Magnemite focused on its target as the Azumarill released a stream of bubbles, inertia arcing it straight into the Pokémon.

"Darn it… it's gotten more transformations since we last fought… Terror, Therma; regroup!"

Ash looked to the Raticate, still pinned to the ground by Ralts.

_Time to finish this…_

But even as he thought it, a strange rippling of emotions cut through his thoughts, shredding them like ribbons. He shook his head, determined not to be distracted.

"_No…"_

Erynn stood up and then sat down again, unsure of what she could do. He shook the feeling off, turning to Ditto.

"Triple Kick…!"

"_No."_

The voice was stronger now; he wasn't sure if it was Ralts speaking, or if it was himself. But it was too late to change things; Ditto rushed toward the Raticate, transforming in a flash of white light…

"_No!"_

There was a burst of psychic energy, a power strong enough that it ripped the ground from beneath them. As the dust flew through the air, Ash hid under his jacket until the energy faded out, dissipating into the wind.

"No…"

Ash looked up, finding the battle in a state of disarray. The ground under Ralts was a large crater, with cracks in the earth fanning out in all directions. Amazingly, none of the Pokémon were harmed. As Ralts descended to the ground, her psychic power fading, so did the protective Light Screens around each Pokémon fade.

"What…? What kind of battle…?" the boy looked utterly confused. Ash was no different.

"Ralts, return." In a single motion, he recalled the psychic Pokémon. The spectators were entirely silent. The boy Terry stood up.

"I'm guessing we can declare this a draw…"

Shrugging in disgust, the boy recalled the rest of his Pokémon. Gathering his belongings, he put his backpack on again before turning to Ash.

"Sorry I've got to say this, but your Ralts will never be a battler."

"She said no…" he whispered to himself.

And then Ash nodded. That _she_ would never be a battling Pokémon he knew himself. But _himself_, he didn't know at all.

* * *

Even now, there were a few police cars patrolling the road; possibly on the lookout for any suspect in the vicinity.

**A/N: Ooh a review from Mossstar. Anyways, I have Pokémon Blue and Yellow, Gold, Silver and Crystal, played a little of Sapphire, finished Ruby, and finished Fire Red. Also finished the Pokémon Trading Card Game (a long time ago) and played Pokémon Pinball. Super Smash Brothers / Melee if you count that as a Pokémon Game, and now, Pokémon Fushigi no Dungeon Aka no Kyuujotai… Pokémon Rescue Team, basically.**

The four of them were walking along the road; the trainers had already dispersed into their smaller groups, so it wasn't nearly as crowded. A sign stood in the middle of a fork which split the road into two branches ahead of them.

_Port Aluminate_

_Iro Tunnel_

Dave checked the Pokémon Handbook. Aluminate was another city with a Gym, while the Iro tunnel would have to be crossed anyways; it was the only way to get to Amon Town without the use of a ferry; it was, in fact, part of the Great North Road.

"Hey guys, it's a subterranean tunnel that actually goes under the sea…!"

Michelle looked impassively at him.

"That just means there's a higher chance of us being crushed to death by a sea of water over our heads."

Ash didn't even bother to contradict her this time, for two reasons. One, it was true. Two, he was still looking at his reflection in Ralts' Pokéball. Not because he was getting narcissistic, but because of… what, he wasn't sure.

_Is what I'm feeling… my own…? Or are these merely Ralts' own emotions she's impressing on me…?_

They turned left toward the west; chasing the sun, it seemed. The path this way was downhill; it led into a vast valley, almost entirely surrounded by mountains taller than they had a right to be.

There was only a single ray of light shining through the towering peaks; it fell in a straight line right through the center of the small town. Past the gap, he could just make out a line of docked ferries…

Ash shook his head and pocketed the Pokéball as he turned to follow his friends ahead of him. Chasing the sun might've been a clichéd analogy, but it more than fit the bill.

**T E N T O R F O G**

The boy sat in the waiting room, his brow set as he studied the electronic board in front of him. The room could have been any one of hundreds of waiting rooms in any dentistry or hospital in the world; there was the same air of sterility. Everything was white but the board, which was a dark, intimidating jet black. But the boy wasn't frightened.

There was something about him; he wasn't especially tall or intimidating in any way, but his self seemed to exude a presence that was singularly disturbing. In his hand, he held a single Pokéball. The Pokéball was a dark blue and grey in colour: it wasn't like any other Pokéball known to the world.

He had no idea what Pokémon lay, dormant, inside the ball. He had been issued the ball, and it wasn't up to him to question the authority of the Admin. Now he just waited; watched the black electronic board which hung in the center of the room.

At last, a signal. He stood up as a tone sounded. He was wearing a hoodie of dark grey, with dark blue streaks which looked like black lightning. His pants were of the same shades, but somehow there was a style about it which seemed more than foreboding.

The tone sounded again; his name blipped on the black screen. A woman appeared from behind a sliding door. She was wearing a tank top under a jacket; all blue-grey as well. She didn't smile as she looked at the boy. She probably never did.

"Reno Quinn…

"The Admin will see you now."

**A/N: Chapter 35, finished! Any guesses on who Reno could be…?**

**Anyways, it's quite a while past my bedtime, so I'll just be heading to sleep now. Hope you enjoyed this chapter… and yeah, Ditto is quite a simple Pokémon compared to Ralts… I mean, it eats, sleeps, and plays. Don't we all wish Life could be so simple…?**

**Anyways, enjoyed it; hated it; please review! Hooray.**


	36. Questions Unanswered

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing. For more information, read the last 35 chapters. Writing this in school (as always) so I'm not sure if I've gotten any reviews... anyways I'll be home in an hour or two so then I'll know.**

**Whateverish. I don't really have a lot to say about this next chapter; till I get home, anyways. I'm making this up as I go along, so bear with me here.**

**Anyways, chapter 36 of Pokémon Go, begin!**

The town of Aluminate was a far cry from the technology of either Rubidium or Fluoride; there was no sign of the glass-and-metal constructs here. The place seemed steeped in ancient history, and it wasn't just the centuries-old mountains which surrounded it.

The four trainers stepped through the town gate hesitantly; the other people around them, too, seemed to slow down as they approached. The reason was a mixture of awe and plain curiosity; the single gap between the mountains cast a line of light straight along the road. Ash was forced to wonder if it was the path which had been built along the light, or if it had been the light which chose to follow the path.

"Remarkable..." a passing trainer commented, "truly remarkable."

And it was. The four of them progressed to the small square which stood in the exact center of the town. It was a park of sorts; stone Squirtles spouted water in beautifully rustic fountains; in the center of it all there was a statue of a larger-than-life-sized Aggron.

"That's huge..." Michelle murmured.

The Aggron seemed to be made entirely of precious stones; as the light shone on it, it sparkled with a brilliance unmatched beyond anything they'd seen. Apart from the sun; anyway.

The four of them were pretty sure there was a story behind the statue; after all, how often were huge ornate stone statues built with so many expensive artifacts? Hardly ever; especially if it took up a lot of the afternoon sunlight.

But the story wasn't one for the day. Following a lighted street sign, they approached the Pokémon Centre.

Leaving their Pokémon with Nurse Joy, the four trainers collected their keys again, taking two rooms this time. Their experience in the inn, while not entirely pleasant, had its revelations.

"Well, we're too late for the battle, as again..."

The trainers left their doors open as they dumped their belongings in their respective rooms before stepping out again.

"Well at least we won't have to wait another three days before we can battle..."

Erynn shrugged at Dave's point; it was true.

"Thing is; are we going to take a ferry to the next city...? Or are we going by the Iro tunnel?"

Dave voted for the tunnel; there were plenty of Pokémon-catching opportunities there. Erynn shrugged; the ferry would be less strenuous, definitely.

But Ash simply turned out his pockets. The other three, with the exception of Erynn, nodded in commiseration. Erynn nodded because she had long accepted it.

The tunnel, then.

"Well," Michelle broke the after-decision silence, "to dinner? Or shall we wait for the Tentor Fog to end our lives before we starve to death...?"

Ash shuddered as he led the way out of the Pokémon Centre. Morbid.

Dying of starvation? Now _that'd_ be something scary.

* * *

They sat at different tables this time; Erynn liked to think that the two boys were afraid of becoming vegan converts. In truth, they were just a little tired with the remarkably limited variety the vegan lifestyle afforded.

Each side had their own worries to work out; while Ditto went at its food whole-heartedly, the others took a little longer; Ash finished his food two minutes slower than he normally did; a fact that did not go unnoticed by Dave.

**A/N: Not sure if I can finish this by today. I was home for quite a while, but because of the lure of online games… well, shoot me. I haven't had a break in forever. Not that I don't enjoy doing this, of course. And I'm glad you liked the last chapter; and the introduction of Reno Quinn. Actually, the name I _did_ take from FFVII; mostly because I thought for half an hour and couldn't think of a better one.**

**By the way, the next few chapters will be Ash-centric, with his Ralts dilemma taking center stage. Also, on Reno; for now anyway. As I've promised, Skately will come in once the introduction is done… in fact, maybe even in the course of the introduction…**

"Ralts…?

Ash looked up and Dave knew he'd interpreted his look correctly.

"Don't worry… she'll battle for you…"

Ash shrugged the consolation off, looking down at his empty plate as he spoke.

"No… that's not it at all… it's…" he broke off; "I can't explain it, but it's me… more than her."

Dave looked to the next table and back.

"We're talking about Ralts, aren't we…?"

Ash looked up and flashed him a dirty look before looking down again. His voice was warningly low.

"Yeah… we are."

Dave was at a loss for words.

"Just… cheer up, why don't you?"

Even as he said that, Espeon slipped out from under his grasp. A few seconds later, Ash found himself among the rafters of the large restaurant. The conversation between Erynn and Michelle was broken as the two of them looked up at the hapless boy, together with half of the restaurant's occupants. The other half was busy eating.

Dave looked from Espeon to Ash; he suppressed a smile as the trainer struggled to get himself down with the help of Erynn and one of the waiters.

_Unorthodox… but at least it got his mind off of that… whatever it was.

* * *

_

Dave lay asleep in his bed as Ash carefully turned the Pokéball over in his hands.

_Why am I so worried about this…?_

He made to release the Pokémon, but his hand was held back by his hesitant mind. He tried to rationalize his worries.

_She's my Pokémon, after all…_

With an effort, he released the Pokémon onto his bed once more. In the dim light, she glowed with a soft yellow aura. He watched her carefully, but she didn't seem the least bit hostile towards him. She looked at him with a confusion mirroring his own.

_She seems… she doesn't seem to blame me, anyway…_

He didn't know if it was her thought or his own; but it came to him an answer; and it was simple in its ability to complicate matters.

_But of course not… would you blame yourself…?_

He stood wordless to the answer of his own; it was funny how difficult it could be to reply, honestly, to oneself.

**T E N T O R F O G**

"Administrator; the boy is here to see you."

Every word was enunciated on its own; clearly, and yet, solitarily. He stepped past the woman, without fear, but with more than a little caution. He was unperturbed by her icy glare as she watched him enter.

"Excellent… thank you, Ivy; you may leave."

The man who sat behind the desk waved a hand; the woman bowed and stepped out of the room, leaving only two in the room. The boy's hand tensed around his Pokéball as the sliding door slid shut behind him. He wasn't sure what would be expected of him, but he wasn't going to let his guard down.

The man smiled as he waved an arm; the holographic desk flickering into inexistence as he stood from his seat.

He was dressed in a long, dark blue trenchcoat, with streaks of silver. Underneath, he wore a black leather suit, with a red scarf about his neck.

_Silver… the colour of authority…_

_Of the Admin._

The two people waited there, one on either side; neither was willing to approach the other. The boy, out of cautiousness; the man, out of dignity.

"What is your name…?" the man questioned. There was no malice in his voice.

The boy didn't speak; his eyes were locked onto the older man's; an open show of defiance, but a little respect. The man smiled, clapping his hands together before continuing.

"Fine… I'll begin with mine. My name is Skately."

"Just… Skately…?" the boy asked out loud. The man smiled again.

"That'll do for now."

He nodded.

"Reno… Reno Quinn."

Even as he said these words, the man turned to face the door behind him; with his back turned to Reno, still Reno could detect a trace of satisfaction in his next words.

"Now we're getting somewhere…"

However much he didn't want to, he was letting his guard down; everything about the man seemed to exude a sense of trustworthiness. Reno almost smiled at the irony. To be trustworthy in a world of evil was either to be a really bad criminal or a really good liar. Reno hoped he was dealing with the former.

It was like a survey; he stood and answered every one of the questions asked to him. The questions seemed so random he wasn't sure if there was really any point in doing it.

**A/N: This is where WickedWolf09 signed off. In case you'd like to know.**

As he finished what seemed to be the hundredth question on the questionnaire, the man finally turned to face him again. Reno redoubled his grip on the Pokéball…

"Fine. You may go."

He was caught at a loss for words.

"Go…?"

The man named Skately looked at the boy intently, another smile on his face.

"Go. What did you expect?"

Realizing that he was being scrutinized, Reno turned impassive, clipping the Pokéball back onto his belt.

"You'll be joining Delta Twelve; training starts at the trainer's discretion, so be ready."

Reno nodded, and turned to leave the room. He'd only taken a step out of the room when Skately's voice sounded again.

"One more thing…"

This time, Reno was sure he was baiting him.

"Beware of bullies…"

The sliding door slid closed in front of his face as he turned around; disgusted.

His interview was over.

**A/N: Sorry this is so horribly short! It's 12.15 in the morning and I'm really tired… so… goodnight, all! Please review, and I'm sorry if this chapter seemed a little… lacking. I hope you _did_ enjoy it though; maybe I should change the genre for now…?**


	37. Gym: Aluminate Town

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. And I've given up on my PDA after it crashed and got my in-progress chapter deleted.**

**Well. Today, half an hour before the end of the First of September, I start writing again. This is just because it's the holidays, though I really do have a lot of work to catch up on… exams just over, and here they are beginning again. I don't know how long I'll take to complete this chapter, but I'll try continuing from where I left off.**

**Sorry for missing the birthdays and all, but if this is going to be more than a year in its coming, I think I'll wait till the beginning of the year before I start any birthday things. I've decided I won't update it daily now, but once or twice a week shouldn't be too hard for me.**

**I know I haven't written anything in a long time, but the break has given me time to think about where I want to go with this. If it's going to be a large effort, I can't have the ten-or-so Gym Battles over as quick as that; there'll be a lot more in between. The battles I'll keep at though; they really _are_ a lot of the story, aren't they?**

**Should I try fluff? I have no idea. I can't pair any of your OCs up, for fear of getting it wrong, so that part's a bit tough. The only ones I've been able to try anything with are the two OCs of my own, so I guess this'll be more on battles and adventures than straight-down relationship building.**

**In my spare time, I've been busy with homework and all (obviously), but also, I've gotten started on a new, non-fan-related project. _February the 29th_ is a story about an experiment; a single being with the ability to still the flow of time. I was just wondering if people born on February the 29th should live four times longer…**

**But anyways, sorry for the really-long-author's-note… and I really should continue where I left off. So… Chapter 37 of Pokémon Go! begin!**

Morning dawned on Aluminate slowly. The sun seemed almost lazy to rise, but when it did, its rays streaming down the slope from whence they had descended, the display eliciting a gasp of surprise from a certain purple-haired individual.

The morning dew had formed a thin mist lying just above the quaint tiled roofs of the town; it was a mist made enchanting by the sun's rays, which bathed the town in a soft, golden light, undulating as the mist swirled and eddied in the fresh morning breeze.

The soft light touched the statue through the mist, but only just; through the mist, the iridescent sparkle of colours complemented the silver-gold hue of the sunlight. The soft twitter of Tyranitar shattered the morning air.

_It was at this point that the author discovered there were _no_ twittering birds in the world of Pokémon! Erasing Tyranitar from the drawing board, he decided instead on a Pokémon of his own creation. Cowardly, yes; uninspired… well yes to that as well._

The soft twitter of Chirubs rang in the morning air, like so many tinkling bells. Pidgeys flew across the air, their silhouettes tiny specks in the sunlight. The fresh smell of the many plants which dotted Aluminate wafted through the open windows, rousing even the heaviest sleepers from their beds.

Ash rose, yawning as he stretched. Despite his bleary state, even _he_ was unable to ignore the beauty of the early morning.

"I've been in the city for too long," he said, shaking his head slowly.

The rooms were spacious; made in the style of log cabins; the windows were cut into the logs; perfectly-cut square openings decorated with a soft, light fabric which served as a set of curtains.

It was interesting to note how much money the Organization actually allotted to these Pokémon Centers; the furniture in each of the many identical rooms must have cost a lot. It just displayed the lengths to which the government actually went to encourage the Elem Pokémon League.

It was at that point that Espeon leapt through the window, startling Ash. She had made no sound even as she slipped over the sill and into the room; a minute later, Dave walked in by the door.

"So, you're up at last," he noted, with just the faintest hint of amusement.

Ash knew from the tone of his voice that everyone else was probably wide awake already.

"Just… give me a moment or two; I'll just get myself ready…"

He grabbed a few articles of clothing and stepped out of the room. Dave watched him leave, then sighed and sat down on his own bed. Espeon leapt up next to him, unexpectedly docile. He looked out of the window as he contemplated the statue.

* * *

Erynn looked away from the window as Michelle entered their room again, dressed in a set of fresh clothing, which looked remarkably similar to her outfit the day before. At this, the author dwelled on the possibility of Pokémon Trainers having their clothing beamed down to them by communist aliens. Before losing his mind.

But back to the story.

"It's time, isn't it?"

Michelle nodded.

"The breakfast buffet's closing in less than an hour."

Erynn shrugged resignedly. If they were going to be at the top of their game, they needed first of all to fill their stomachs.

Erynn picked her backpack up as Michelle slung her bag over her shoulder. Locking the door behind them, the two girls stepped out of the room, locking it behind them. Erynn looked at Michelle seriously for a second.

"Why do I get the feeling there's something I'm forgetting…?"

At that moment, there was a muffled thump against the door, and then a soft squelch. In another second Ditto was with them.

"Oh; I forgot. Good morning, Ditto."

Ditto, a little put out at being forgotten, nevertheless returned the greeting, albeit in its own native Pokémon form.

"_Good morning… I just hope breakfast is an all-you-can-eat."_

The four (Erynn, Michelle, Leon and Ditto) went down the corridor until they reached the boys' room. Michelle was on the point of knocking when she stopped, turning to look at Erynn strangely.

"Why is it that Ditto doesn't sleep with Ash instead…?"

At that question, Erynn looked confused for a bit, and then shrugged it off with a smile.

"I'm not exactly sure; I guess it just likes me better, that's all."

She hurriedly stepped in front of Michelle and knocked on the door. Dave's voice rang out from within.

"Espeon, can you get that?"

There was a soft humming noise, and then the door sprang open.

Dave had just buckled the upper flap of his backpack closed when the two girls stepped into the room. He turned, pulling the backpack up onto his back. There was Espeon, there was Dave. But there was no sign of Ash, Ralts, Hoppip, or Ditto. Oh, wait. Ditto was right there.

Erynn took a few steps forward, as though to ascertain he wasn't hiding on the ceiling or lying under the bed. Mercifully, he wasn't.

"Where's Ash?"

Dave waved his hand in the general direction of the in-center buffet.

"I'd expect he's gone off in the general direction of the foodstuffs," he commented, straightening as Espeon made her way to his side.

Michelle put on a pair of dark glasses.

"Figures," she intoned, "and by the way, Erynn, your shades really _are_ pretty nice to wear."

Dave smiled amusedly as Erynn reached under her jacket and into her breast pocket, but found nothing but empty air. She sighed as she motioned for Michelle to give them back.

She'd forgotten two things already; she could only hope breakfast was still a possibility.

* * *

Stepping out of the Pokémon Centre, the four trainers checked their belongings one more time. Ditto was with Ash again; after checking their belts for their Pokéballs, they headed for the Aluminate Gym.

They stepped through the town square with more than a little awe; the place looked different, yet again, in the morning light. The fountains gushed merrily, the Aggron statue standing tall, and remarkably beautiful, in the cool air. Dave reached out a hand to touch the statue, but stopped short; unwilling, or perhaps unable, to disturb its peace.

It was Dave who found the Gym first. He had, after all, already scouted it out when he'd left the PokéCentre that morning. Surprisingly enough, the Gym was hardly noticeable among the many other quaint houses which lined the streets, different only in the fact that a gold crest hung over its door – one engraved with the image of an Aggron.

"They must be really popular among these townsfolk," Michelle observed.

Even as they approached, a boy about their age stepped out of the Gym, badge in hand. He wasn't anyone they knew, but the significance of a trainer beating the Gym Leader they hadn't yet faced was obvious.

None of them wanted to lose to him in any way. He didn't even seem to have broken into a sweat.

Ash stepped forward.

"I'll go in first."

Dave stared at him, askance. Erynn rolled her eyes. Michelle spoke.

"Why don't we _all_ go in, and _then_ have our battles one at a time…?"

At this, Ash shrugged.

"Fine by me…"

The four of them stepped through the double doors of the building. It seemed like an old-world residence, with hints of Oriental and Western culture evident in its design. It seemed like the Organization had at least gotten its way; between two great wooden pillars, there was a single state-of-the-art sliding door.

Ash blanched. There wasn't much difference between any normal sliding door and this State-of-the-Art one; a sliding door was simply that. That, being a mechanical disaster.

But the others were already through. He watched Michelle, Leon in tow, walk calmly through the door which was set up a series of steps. Dave was half a step behind, Espeon dancing effortlessly through. Erynn was waiting for him, halfway up.

"Oh, come on… it's not _that_ bad…"

Ash reluctantly followed her up the steps, his mind dwelling for a long time on the singular love of sliding doors the Elem region seemed to have; a love he did not share in the least.

As they approached the door, he stopped. This was a _State-of-the-Art_ door, for crying out loud; he wouldn't only be knocked unconscious by the door, he'd be knocked into an unconscious _state_, _artfully_.

But then Erynn grabbed his arm.

"Oh, _come on…_"

Which really was a fatal error. Even as she stepped through the door, Ash tripped over the single, last, solitary step. The door began to slide closed; his head just cleared the threshold… with a swish like a guillotine…

_The censors at slammed the M-rating down upon this story. The loud screams of the author's anguish remained unheard in the confines of his tiny dark room and his tiny dark laptop._

"_What do you think you're doing?" he demanded._

"_If you're going to do any bloody decapitation via sliding door…" the censor replied._

"_Well I wasn't; you can put that down in your records, you dirty –"_

"_Swearing will get your rating raised as likely as not," the sing-song voice of the censor rang out._

"_Why in heaven's name would I get my main character killed in a sliding-door incident!" he screamed._

"_Actually, for a variety of reasons. Comic humour, for one."_

"_It's not even funny!" he pointed out, a tad hysterically._

_The censor appraised him for a moment._

"_Fine. There's no need to get hysterical over it. We'll change the rating if you get rid of the last few sentences."_

"_Done deal," he agreed._

_And in a magical poof, the censor disappeared._

* * *

Erynn grabbed his arm, pulling him laughingly across the door. And for the first time, he wasn't knocked unconscious. Ditto was.

The pink Pokémon hadn't even noticed the state-of-the-art glass which hung from its state-of-the-art frame. Luckily, Ditto's states of random unconsciousness rarely lasted long. Even as Ralts teleported the Pokémon through to safety, the pink creature woke again.

And then they were in.

The hall was remarkably spacious, but singularly empty. There wasn't a single rookie trainer for them to battle. Wooden pillars held the large chamber up; these were large, imposing affairs. Lanterns hung in brackets on each side, but the chamber itself was too long for any of them to see the end of. The ground under them was covered with mats of tatami; the old-world oriental designs clearly evident.

Cautiously the four trainers walked forward, unsure of what to expect. The mats rustled under their feet, but that, apart the occasional guttering of a torch flame, was the only sound they heard. Metal gargoyles, Aggrons and Lairons alike, stared down at them, as though questioning their right to be in this hall.

When at last the end of the passage was in sight, they were surprised to find themselves faced with a young girl.

"This… can't be right…?"

The girl, who looked to be about eight years old, glanced up at them as they approached. She was sitting behind a wooden table, on which were placed several black and white stones. Not that she had any interest in that, though. She was playing with a Pokédoll: an Aron one, to be exact.

Tentatively Ash stepped up.

"Do you have any idea where the Gym Leader might be…?"

The little girl looked up at him, with more interest this time. She opened her mouth as though to say something, and then shut it again. After a moment of deliberation, she opened her mouth and spoke.

"If you want a Gym Battle, you can battle _me_ for the badge."

Looking around for a bit, she managed to dig up three Pokéballs from a small bag that lay at her side. The four trainers watched as she reached into another drawer and pulled out a stack of badges.

"The trainer before was pretty strong, but I think I can take you four on!" she stated confidently.

Erynn watched as she closed the drawer, her hands fumbling as she removed a badge from the stack. Stealthily she crept over to Michelle, and whispered in her ear.

"Do you think she really should be doing this…?"

The other girl shrugged.

"She might have no idea what she's doing, but then again, she might really be the Gym Leader of this Gym. There's no telling with Gym Leaders, why, one of them might even turn out to be the boss of a secret underground organization hell-bent on destroying the world."

Erynn dismissed that with a small laugh.

"That would never happen…"

Dave and Espeon stepped back as the girl stood up, a Pokéball belt firmly clipped around her waist.

"I think we should give them some room to battle."

Ash seemed to have come to a decision as well. Stepping up front, he looked around him before staring straight at the girl curiously.

"Where's the umpire…?"

The girl eyed him curiously.

"What?"

"You know… the one who holds those two weird flags and states the rules for the battle…?"

At that, the girl just shrugged it off.

"Oh… that's just for those other gyms… we don't really need one, do we?"

"I guess not…"

* * *

The girl reached to her belt and detached her first Pokéball.

"Then let's go! Aron, I choose you!"

The ball hit the ground, red immateria released from its core. In another moment, a Pokémon the size of a Zigzagoon emerged, its steel coat shining in the torch light.

As though triggered by the appearance of a Pokémon, the ground beneath them began to rumble; the torches flared a bright orange as their intensity doubled. Surprisingly, the temperature still remained constant, though it might have been because of the air-conditioning systems which were installed throughout the building.

Beneath their feet, the ground began to glow; the trainers only stepped away just in time, as an arena began to surface from beneath the tatami. The mats slipped away as large metal pillars erupted from the ground; in seconds the arena was ready.

"Alright then… ready, Ditto?"

The pink blob hopped forward, nodding slightly. Aron stepped forward as well, lowering its head as though to begin the attack.

"We'll use three Pokémon each, is that okay?"

Ash nodded slowly; he didn't know anything about the girl, but chances were appearances were deceiving.

Both Pokémon faced each other over a field which was longer than it was wide. Steel columns stood at haphazard angles all around the field; it reminded Ash of the Ruins field back at the Trainer Square.

He flipped his PokéNav open and pointed the receiver at the Aron, allowing the PokéDex program to run automatically.

_It's Aron, the Iron Armor Pokémon. Aron is a Rock and Steel type, so physical attacks won't work as well on it. This specimen looks less than experienced, though…_

"He… hey! That isn't fair! Aron, begin with a Take Down!"

The attack came suddenly; before Ash had a chance to wonder about the morality of using a PokéDex. Stashing the PokéNav away, he shouted the command to Ditto.

"Ditto...! Use Transform, now!"

Ditto nodded, turning itself into an exact copy of Aron.

"Iron Defense!"

Just in time, Ditto curled into a ball, the steel plates on its body shining a bright gold as the attack impacted. Ditto recovered, shaken but not badly hurt. Aron retreated immediately after the attack.

_A hit and run… and Ditto's Iron Defense isn't as powerful as Aron's is…_

"Ditto; Agility!"

It was his turn to take the initiative; he knew that he wouldn't be able to survive in a test of brawn. Ditto glowed blue, as it the molecular structure of Azumarill was superimposed on itself. Adrenalin pumped through its veins as its reaction speed was bolstered.

"Now, Triple Kick!"

With a running jump, Ditto launched itself into the air, simultaneously morphing into Hitmontop. Out of the light, a long foot lashed out.

"Aron; Iron Defense!"

The Pokémon curled into itself, steel plates locking as the kick impacted. One, two, and three, and Aron was sent flying back. Yet the steel plates had not even dented.

"Metal Claw and Mud Slap!"

In a flash, Aron had dug its claws into the ground, halting its progress and sending it flying forward. The soft soil underfoot was a perfect ground to execute the manoeuvre. Even as it flew forward, its claws dragged the earth beneath it, sending it flying forward at Hitmontop.

"Rapid Spin! Ditto, block the attack!"

Ditto was still in mid-air, so quick had the attack come. Almost in slow-motion, it began to spin, its limbs flailing in a wild cyclone as the mud was sent flying in all directions.

"Now, Take Down one more time!"

The Aron flew forward, slamming straight into Ditto-Hitmontop. The Pokémon was knocked out of its spin, and also its transformation.

"Ugh… that was a pretty strong attack."

But Aron had also suffered a hit from Hitmontop. The Steel Pokémon was sent flying back, crashing against a metal pillar. As both trainers watched, the Pokémon gathered the energy to stand up again. A single attack wasn't going to finish either Pokémon off.

"Ditto; let's fight back! Ember!"

It was time to use what the Trainer's Square had taught them.

"Okay! Aron, get ready to use –"

"Wait!"

* * *

The single, authoritative voice froze everyone in mid-battle. But it was the Gym Leader who seemed the most affected; almost immediately she recalled her Aron.

"What are you doing!"

The screech belonged to a woman who looked to be in her seventies. Even as she stepped forward, the girl ran into a corner.

"I…was just…"

"Don't you 'I was just' me, young lady! How many badges have you lost today?"

"Ju… just one."

The old woman sighed, setting the grocery bags she was holding down on the ground.

"I guess it can't be helped. Let me warn you, though… if you ever pretend to be the Gym Leader again, I'm telling your parents!"

At that, the young girl nodded and ran off, taking the grocery bags off to a side room.

The four trainers stared at the woman askance. Despite her age, she seemed to be fit in every respect.

"Are you… the Gym Leader?" Dave asked tentatively.

The old woman nodded in response.

"That young girl is my apprentice. She also happens to be my granddaughter. I'm sorry if she misled any of you."

Ash blanched.

"But what about the battle…?"

At that, the old woman tapped the Pokébelt she wore.

"You can either come back after having a short rest, or continue from where she left off. We'll count the last round as you having won, and I'll use just two Pokémon against your three."

Ash looked around to the others, who just shrugged in turn. Sighing, he turned back to the woman.

"Fine. I accept your offer."

The woman wagged a finger at him.

"Don't expect to win so easily, though… go, Lairon!"

With a flourish, she released a Pokémon that seemed about twice the size of Aron. It shook itself up, the metal plates which lined its body making a soft ringing noise as they brushed against each other.

"This is it then, Ditto; let's continue this with an Ember!"

Ditto glowed red as it began to transform into a Growlithe; flickers of flame were emitted from its body.

"Now; Water Pulse!"

Before Ditto had even begun its Ember attack, Lairon's attack was through. Streaking toward the Growlithe-morph with intense speed, the attack seemed less like a pulse of water than an arcing arrow, leaving blue-tinged rings of moisture as it sliced through the air.

Before Ash could respond, the attack struck Ditto, sending it flying back and knocking it out of its transformation again.

"Ugh… how can it use Water-Type attacks…?"

He knew to be wary now; until he had figured out what other attacks Lairon could use…

Ditto stood up, but only just. It was just as well Water Pulse wasn't a move Lairon naturally learnt; the proficiency of its attack was not remarkably high. It was, however, fast. Ash didn't want to risk another hit.

"Ditto… Bubblebeam!"

Ditto glowed blue again, releasing a stream of bubbles even as it began its transformation. The attack streamed toward Lairon at a pace remarkable for a bubble; or bubbles, as it was.

"Lairon; counter it with a Metal Sound!"

Not knowing what to expect, Ash wasn't able to take his eyes off the Lairon in front of him. A pity, because Michelle had managed to get everyone else to cover their ears.

A shrilling sound began to emanate from Lairon's steel shell. Its carapace shook as the sound began to grow in intensity. As the bubbles approached, the sound reached an upper limit, causing the bubbles to pop, all at the same time. But the screech didn't stop there. As the intense frequency continued to sound, Ash put his hands to his ears; Ditto shuddered, unable to keep the attack going.

"And now; Water Pulse again!"

_Darn it… she's trying to keep us at a distance…_

"Ditto; Agility!"

Once more Ditto glowed blue; the adrenalin rushed through its body as it rushed forward.

"Fly!"

In a single leap, Ditto jumped high above the range of the Water Pulse, its body morphing once more. In response, Lairon shot the pulses of water straight into the air, attempting to hit Ditto.

The wings sprouted first.

Right before the attack would have slammed into Ditto, it was gone; away on wings of Farfetch'd.

"Now; let's try a Fire Spin!"

Even as he said that, Ditto swooped down upon Lairon; even as it slowed down, its body glowed red once more; tongues of flame intermittently flickered as it transformed.

Directly above Lairon, a ring of fire began to blossom outward. Flaming tendrils of fire shot straight down into the ground, trapping both Pokémon within.

"Lairon! Water Pulse!"

But the Pokémon was unable to blast through the cage of fire. Ditto-Rapidash hovered just inches above it, its wings still beating as it slowly descended.

"Now; finish it off with a Take Down!"

Within the pillar of fire, the Rapidash aimed its horn downward, galloping along an invisible track even as its wings spread wide.

"Lairon; Iron Defense!"

The fire around them flickered under the impact; dissipating to reveal Rapidash and Lairon, both locked in what looked to be the final struggle. Lairon's sides were scorched, but it was still strong enough to challenge Ditto-Rapidash's Take Down. They watched, almost in slow motion, as Rapidash's horn pushed through the golden aura which constituted Lairon's Iron Defense.

"Break it off; Lairon!"

But no matter how hard Lairon tried to break the attack, Rapidash continued its assault.

_But Take Down… it hurts Ditto as well…_

"Darn it… Flamethrower!"

Now it was Ditto's turn to disengage; it pranced to a side and sent a stream of liquid flame flying across at Lairon. The Iron Defense was broken as it shook off its weariness to meet the Flamethrower rushing toward it.

"Water Pulse; one more time!"

Both attacks collided in mid-air; a loud hissing and a gush of rising steam was formed. While Lairon's attack was one learnt via a Technical Machine, Ditto's was one learnt from being a Morph. Both attacks were evenly matched in terms of proficiency. Both were doomed to fail.

"What…?"

The attacks died down as both Pokémon grew too fatigued to continue fighting. Lairon staggered, unable to hold its own any longer; Ditto de-transformed, falling in a heap to the ground. Without any hesitation, the woman recalled her Pokémon.

"You would do well to recall Ditto as well," she added.

Ash nodded, running forward and pulling the exhausted Ditto off the battlefield. Turning to the three trainers behind him, Ash handed the unconscious Pokémon to Erynn, then turned to face her again.

"That was a pretty even match, trainer."

It was at that point that he realized neither of them knew each other's names.

"My name's Ash, and I'm from Palladium. My friends here are Erynn, of Rubidium; Dave, also of Palladium; and Michelle, of Fluoride."

Each of the others bowed or did suchlike as he introduced them. The woman nodded.

"My name's Elizabeth; I'm the Leader of the Aluminate Gym, as you already know. My granddaughter…"

At this, the girl in question walked out of the side room, holding a pair of flags.

"Well, she's my apprentice _and_ the umpire. Her name's—"

"Sera. And I really wish I didn't have to do this…"

At a stern look from her grandmother, though, she desisted.

"This third battle is between the Aluminate Gym Leader Elizabeth and the trainer Ash Vortnes of Palladium. Begin!"

Elizabeth allowed herself a faint smile as she released her last Pokémon.

_Aggron._

They all knew the Pokémon from the statues around town; but seeing one in person was a whole different kettle of fish. Its eyes glowed red under its large horns; it was at least a foot taller than Ash, who was in no way short. Its body was covered entirely by solid iron, which gleamed in the light as it roared.

"Your Ditto may have been a strong Pokémon; but I don't think it could've stood up to Aggron, either."

Dave watched the battle with growing interest.

"Espeon; we should be able to take that guy on."

Espeon nodded slowly, watching just as intently.

"I, for one, think this will actually be good for Ash."

Erynn turned to Michelle, unsure of her meaning.

"You mean, getting pummeled into submission will make him more understanding of your theories of destruction?"

Michelle shook her head.

"That too, but I actually meant that he'll have a chance to use his other Pokémon actively. So far, he's only used Hoppip in situations he's had to; and Ralts…"

Erynn nodded slowly. But Ralts was still a problem.

"What happens if Ralts still refuses to battle?"

Michelle shrugged.

"Then he'll be pummeled into submission; yes."

**T E N T O R F O G**

The training room was a mass of state-of-the-art circuitry. It spanned three storeys, and was perhaps the size of four football fields in length and breadth. It was also entirely barren; apart from the group of five boys which entered through its sliding doors.

Reno stared at the walls with interest as they progressed forward. They seemed to be entirely transparent, revealing a sea of inky black beyond them: another reminder that they would never be able to escape.

Even if they had wanted to.

Translucent wires ran across the length of the room, occasionally lighting up as electricity coursed through it; as it was coursing now. The wiring lit a path of bright blue for the group of them; a path which led to a single console which stood, alone, in the exact center of the room.

The other boys in his group were from pretty diverse walks of life. Not that any of them had told him; he had only met them perhaps a week ago. It was just something he knew; like he knew the boy with the lighter had been in and out of remand homes half his life; like he knew the boy wearing the hoodie had never known the love of a parent.

There were five of them; four boys, and the last their Trainer. When he had first arrived, he had soon learnt that Delta Twelve was a group that left no room for mistakes; the other boys, while all around his age, had the best track record of any of the other forty-odd crack teams.

In the short time he'd spent training with them, he'd learnt that the word 'training' did _not_ specifically refer to your Pokémon. In a week's training, he'd been put under every manner of physical torture he could endure. He smiled; he could only come out stronger.

It seemed that the others in his group had taken an especial disliking to him as well. Since the first day, they had never ceased to find a way to pick on him; their methods were singularly discreet, considering the strict code of discipline in the facility.

Yet the trainer seemed to care little, not even when the three of them had deliberately pushed him into an electric barrier during their last training session. Then, it had been declared a case of pure carelessness, and while the whole team had been punished, he had been the one blame had been pinned to.

Skately's words rang in his ears.

"_Beware of bullies…"_

He wondered if it was more than a simple warning.

His hand clutched the blue-and-grey Pokéball; he had learnt it was empty about four days ago. He wasn't sure why he had been issued an empty one, but today was the day he'd been asked to bring it along.

The Trainer stopped directly in front of the console, and pressed his palm against it. Instantly there was a soft humming noise; in a flash of violet light, the world shifted. There was a burst of bright colour as the world around him seemed to explode; in a moment, the world had righted itself, and Reno found himself lying in the soft mud of a jungle. The other boys, used to the transition, merely watched as he got to his feet.

"The four of you may be wondering why I've got you to bring your SP Pokéballs today…" the trainer began.

"Because of your above-average performance, the Admin has decided to award each of you one of these very special balls…" at this, the Trainer turned his cold gaze on Reno, "even you."

"The SP was created with the intention of allowing each of you to fulfill your full potential; the only limit to the power of this ball is yourself.

"As you would all have found out at some time or another, the ball is, to all appearances, empty. While some of you might have been confused, I can assure you," he looked at each of them in turn, "there was no mistake."

"For you to fully utilize the power of the SP there is a _single_ vital component that has yet to be input into the ball."

He removed a slim knife from his pocket, beckoning the first boy to step up. This one wore glasses, and from experience was an expert strategist; he winced as the blood left his arm, but didn't flinch. As the ball came into contact with the blood, it shone a deep red before returning to its blue-and-grey state. Next came the boy who perpetually played with his lighter, then the one who was singularly obsessed with wolves. The boy in the hoodie was through, then it came to him.

The Trainer's hand was steady as it drew a swift line across his hand in blood. He could feel the burning sensation begin to spread across his palm; feel it even as he brought the SP ball in contact with the red liquid.

And then everything went wrong.

There was a sudden pain as the ball seemed to sear into his flesh; for an instant he watched, dazed, as his arm seemed to melt away; the ball pulsing steadily in tandem to his heart.

Time slowed to a crawl; he felt the agony of a thousand needles rushing through his bloodstream; and then a pair of red eyes…

"_For I am yours, your Shadow Partner…"_

And then the darkness melted away; sucked into the powerful void which was the SP ball.

* * *

When he awoke from his state of unconsciousness, he was lying in his bunk. Looking to his side-table, he noticed his SP ball. It winked innocently at him in the lamplight.

**A/N: Hooray for my first new completed chapter, so long after I began! It's the first time I've written five thousand words in a single chapter… whew. Tiring, this is. **

**The power of an SP ball… it really isn't what anyone would expect, I'd think. If anyone wants to try guessing, you might write it in your reviews. Just note that what Reno experienced is less than ordinary.**

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter; I'm not exactly sure when I'll update again, but it'll probably be in a week at most. I hope you'll give me some inspiration though; no need to point out quite where the plot's going, but I _do_ need some other happenings to keep the story coming along! After all, the many many _many_ series of Pokémon (the anime thing) didn't keep going because Ash battled from gym to gym. Of course, there are the untimely interventions by the Rockets, but there's a lot more to it than that.**

**Either way, please comment if you liked or didn't like this chapter, and explain just why, if you can. I'd be very much obliged to my patient readers who've put up with my hiatus for so long; I can't help if my style might have changed a bit. I kinda hoped it would, anyways.**


	38. Awakenings

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. As a matter of fact I don't care. So you can take your lawyers somewhere else.**

**Well. I waited for reviews, but they didn't seem to come. Anyways, this marks the start of my second revival chapter of Pokémon Go! Thanks for the reviews, VampireWizard and Dragon Master Cohl.**

**I'd like to clarify; most of the laughs are meant to be derived from less of a slapstick source than anything, but if you all like blatant humour, I guess I'll have to oblige. I might remove the humour tag sometime in the future, if I feel like the story begins to sink into serious-ness.**

**Also, some of you (who haven't reviewed) might remember that early on Ash recalled that the entire Elem league was composed of non-type-based Gyms. While this might seem to be going against the Aluminate Gym, there's actually a reason why the Gym is so traditional or, as some others might say, old-fashioned.**

**Suffice to say that that's the essence of the Aluminate Gym. Tradition; and a sort of keeping to its roots. In fact, Aluminate itself functions quite the same way.**

**And I plan to keep Reno a mystery for now. The SP ball holds many remarkable secrets; just be patient and don't demand answers, or you'll start to get some really rushed chapters; which really should be a no-no.**

**Anyways, enough talk. Chapter 38 of Pokémon Go, up now!**

"This is it, then…"

His hand clenched the Pokéball attached to his belt, detaching it in one swift motion.

"Let's go; Hoppip!"

The diminutive Pokémon was tiny in the face of the huge Aggron; the battle was almost certainly one-sided.

"I do hope Ash can survive on just those two…" Dave spoke softly.

Michelle wore a faint smile; the atmosphere was hardly lost on her. Erynn and Dave were speaking in hushed voices. Almost as though they were at a funeral.

Elizabeth didn't look anything near complacent though.

"Aggron; let's begin the battle with a Take Down!"

The huge Pokémon rushed forward with a speed with hardly matched its hulking size. Hoppip was hard-pressed to dodge; had it been any larger, the attack would most certainly have connected.

Ash winced involuntarily as he imagined the crushing impact even as the Aggron slowed, changing its direction.

"Hoppip; Leech Seed!"

Hoppip floated back, charging its attack.

"Aggron… disrupt it with a Metal Sound."

Its red eyes flashing, the Pokémon shook as the metal plates which constituted its body shrieked in a cacophony of screeches. Hoppip's attack choked off as it shuddered involuntarily.

"Hoppip…! Try a…"

His eyes cast around, not knowing of any other attack Hoppip could try.

"Aggron; now use a Take Down."

The Steel-type ceased its Metal Sound attack as it moved to tackle Hoppip again. While the diminutive Pokémon was in no way slow, the Metal Sound had left it unable to gather its wits.

"Hoppip…! Use a Stun Spore!"

He'd seen Erynn use it time and again; he could only hope Hoppip could pull it off as well. His breath caught as Hoppip released a puff of green powder in the direction of Aggron. Charging through it, the Pokémon hardly seemed affected by the spray.

"Wait a second… Stun Spore is yellow…"

But it was too late. Hoppip squealed and rushed out of the way even as the Aggron trampled straight for it…

And then, remarkably, slowed down.

"What…?"

The PokéDex program booted itself up, buzzing in Ash's pocket.

_Hoppip's attacks include the three different powders; Poison Powder, Stun Spore, and Sleep Powder. Poison Powder is **purple**, Stun Spore is **yellow**, and Sleep Powder is **green**._

Ash looked up in disbelief, his expression mirroring Elizabeth's. Hoppip's attack had put the creature to sleep!

Now it was to see how long it would stay that way.

"Hoppip; Leech Seed!"

Hoppip nodded, releasing a large seed which collided heavily with the metal plate on Aggron's back. The Pokémon shifted, but did not wake. Stealthily the vines grew across its body, prompting the Gym Leader to begin calling for her Pokémon to awake.

"Tackle it, Hoppip!"

Confident, Hoppip rushed straight at the Pokémon, hitting it head-on. Unfortunately, metal wasn't exactly the best thing to hit ones head on; Hoppip recoiled in pain.

"You alright…?"

Hoppip nodded, a green aura glowing around it as the seeds did their work.

"Fine. Let's use a few more seeds!"

Even as Hoppip slammed the second seed against the massive creature though, the weak attacks were enough of an annoyance for it to awake.

"Ugh… too late…"

The Pokémon stretched its arms, and then found it couldn't. The roots wrapped about its limbs were the cause.

"Great! Aggron; let's show them another Metal Sound!"

Aggron roared, the plates on its body resonating as they offered yet another horrible screech. The attack sent the roots flying, leaving Aggron bruised, but more angry than hurt.

"Now; let's finish this! Take Down!"

For the third time, the Pokémon charged directly toward Hoppip.

"Sleep Powder!"

But as Hoppip moved to oblige, Elizabeth countermanded her previous order.

"Now Iron Tail!"

Using its forward momentum, Aggron spun in mid-air, its heavy tail flying like a whip directly at the small Pokémon. Tails didn't have noses; didn't have receptors large enough to accept Sleep Powders. And anyway, tails rarely fell asleep.

* * *

Ash recalled Hoppip a second before the hit.

Elizabeth nodded.

"A wise decision. But now you only have one Pokémon left."

Ash nodded, unable to decide whether or not he should use Ralts. Turning to the other trainers, he wondered if he could borrow any of their Pokémon.

Michelle shrugged helplessly, Erynn fingered her own Pokéballs nervously; Dave seemed to be torn between using the Pokémon and letting Ash borrow it. All three seemed to be anticipating this; only the second time he would be using Ralts.

With rising trepidation, he slowly detached the Pokéball from his waist.

"Go… Ralts."

The Psychic Pokémon appeared out of the red immateria, entirely immaculate. She looked entirely calm even as she faced Aggron. Sera asked him with her eyes if he was ready to begin. He nodded mutely.

"Ralts… use Psychic."

He spoke the words without conviction; knowing the outcome. Ralts floated in mid-air, unmoving.

"Aggron; use Take Down followed by an Iron Tail!"

The Pokémon tried the same tactic once more. Ash knew he wouldn't have to say anything this time. But he did.

"Disable…" he breathed.

**A/N: Thanks to 'Does it matter' and WickedWolf09 for reviewing! Very much obliged.**

Ralts reached a hand out, slowing time in front of it to a crawl. Aggron's attack lost all its impetus, ripples of psychic energy wrapping themselves in a bubble about the Pokémon. With an imperceptible twist of her hand, the Pokémon was sent spiraling back, landing unhurt on the ground.

"Aggron…" the Gym Leader breathed, stunned by the ease with which the other Pokémon had deflected the attack.

"Attack with another Iron Tail!"

The Pokémon rose, its tail whipping around, lithe despite its formidable size. The attack swept toward Ralts mercilessly.

But in a flash of blue light, the Pokémon was no longer there.

"Teleport…"

Ralts appeared a distance away, floating in the air behind Aggron.

"Aggron… Metal Sound again."

The Pokémon turned with a soft growl, its plates rippling as the horrible screech heightened. Ralts flinched; but did not waver. It dropped back, its concentration broken in that instant.

Disable was rendered ineffective.

"Ralts…"

From the side, the other trainers knew that Ralts had only two attacks left.

"Light Screen…" Erynn whispered.

"… and Psychic," Michelle finished darkly.

They all remembered the power of Ralts' attack when she had used it last; the blast she had effected was comparable to that of a Magnablast.

"But… she'd only use it to stop a battle… never to provoke it…"

The three trainers watched tensely as Elizabeth marshaled her thoughts. Aggron still had one, unknown move.

"Aggron; let's finish it now.

"Use all three attacks together."

Ash gritted his teeth as the Pokémon charged toward them one final time. Ralts floated back and forth, seemingly ignorant of the threat the other Pokémon posed. Composed; calm; it—

The lull was shattered as the rattling, shrieking sound began again. As the Pokémon accelerated toward Ralts, though, the frequency heightened.

**A/N: For those of you who aren't sure, it's the basis for the Doppler Effect.**

Light seemed to shimmer; to distort as the distance between both Pokémon closed; the sound waves were intense enough to take shape; almost to…

Shuddering, Ralts raised a hand to slow the advance.

There was an impact to the air; like thunder without sound. The distorted air flattened out, seemingly gliding to a side as Aggron cut through its middle. There was an eerie quiet as the Pokémon approached within a hair's breadth of Ralts…

Once again its tail swept forward, a soft whistling sound as it left Ralts no time to dodge; no space to…

"Light Screen…?"

Ash wasn't the only one surprised. Everyone else was; even Sera.

Ralts had spread her arms wide, forcing a yellow orb of pure light to materialize about her. Normally any physical attack would have passed right through it; but here…

The solid wall of light expanded into a bright column; for a second it seemed as though Ralts had the situation under control. But Elizabeth shook her head.

"Aggron; the finishing blow. Now."

Ash was entirely helpless as the lightning-swift blow was delivered. There was a sound like broken glass, and then the light was swallowed up in the flare of the torches.

_**Brick Break**. This attack destroys any protective barrier while dealing damage._

The unmistakable monotone of the PokéDex intoned these words; the artificial intelligence inbuilt into the PokéNav had decided to forego the lecture, for once.

Ralts was sent flying back. Recovering, it floated forward again, but Ash recalled her before she could do any more harm. Not to the Aggron, but to herself. Elizabeth recalled Aggron slowly, eyeing Ash for a while before speaking.

"Ralts… the feelings Pokémon."

She shook her head in wonder.

"While I respect your decision not to battle, I cannot grant you the badge of our Gym. The Forge Badge you shall have to forego."

Ash nodded silently. With fifteen different Gyms, there were still others he could retrieve the ten required badges from. The catch was that he wasn't allowed to re-challenge any Gym for a year. The Organization considered that just about enough time to allow a trainer to improve his skills.

Deep inside himself, he wasn't angry. He wasn't even sad. Instead, he felt a confusion he'd never felt before. Thoughts chased themselves around in his head like a Skitty and its tail.

Calmly, he turned to sit on the tatami together with the rest of his friends. At least, he tried. It just happened that the seat directly beside Erynn was occupied by a less-than-conspicuous Ditto. Claiming the shreds of what once had been his dignity, he picked Ditto up in his gloved hands and sat down again.

"Who's going next?" he said softly to the others. He didn't seem to have noticed how morose he had become after the loss. But the others had.

"I think I'll go first," Dave spoke up, before anyone could say anything else, "Espeon and I should stand a pretty good chance against her Aggron."

All of them neglected to mention that Ralts had been a Psychic-type as well.

Dave stumbled as he rose to his feet, Espeon rising with a lot more grace. Even as he stumbled, though, Espeon sent a tendril of psychic energy over the boy, righting him.

"Whoa… thanks."

Espeon made a shrugging motion.

"_I just don't want my trainer embarrassing me in this Gym Battle…"_

Dave understood what Espeon meant, shrugging helplessly as she pulled him along.

"You'll get your turn with Aggron; I promise."

Sera stepped up again with her flags. She looked between the new challenger and the empty spot where Elizabeth was to stand.

"Wait… where is she?" Dave wondered out loud.

At that moment, the old woman rushed in, her Pokéballs clutched in both hands. She was a little put out as she spoke.

"You don't expect me to battle you with tired-out Pokémon… there's a Pokémon Recovery Machine in the back."

Dave shrugged; he hadn't thought of that.

Clearing her throat to draw the attention back to herself, Sera waved the flags in the air.

"This battle's between Dave of Palladium and Grandma—"

"Sera…" Elizabeth groaned.

"Yeah… I mean, Elizabeth of Aluminate!"

At this, she paused. Elizabeth looked over to her granddaughter with a look of utmost patience, mouthing the words to her.

"I can't believe I forgot that! Okay… each trainer will use three Pokémon, and only the challenger may switch Pokémon."

Elizabeth nodded at last, causing her granddaughter to sink down to the ground in relief.

The three trainers by the side couldn't help smiling at the scene. Dave, however, was in no mood to be amused. He was ready to battle.

Elizabeth nodded.

"Let's go, Aron!"

The Pokémon she released from the Pokéball was different from Sera's in a few ways. Firstly, hers was definitely larger. For another, it was silver-blue instead of plain grey.

"That's… a rare specimen…" Dave gasped.

Elizabeth shrugged.

"It's not the look which matters in a battle, but its fighting ability. I assure you, my Aron lacks neither."

Dave nodded grimly. His hand grazed the Pokéballs by his side.

"You first, then. Go, Azurill!"

The others looked toward him with more than a little trepidation. Using Azurill wasn't bad from a strategic standpoint; Water Pokémon had a great advantage over Steel. But Azurill was entirely inexperienced…

Dave nodded at them, as though he was trying to reassure them.

"Allowing Azurill to gain battle experience is risky…" Ash observed, "But Dave's got the capacity to take that chance."

The two girls nodded slowly.

"Spectropus and Espeon… both of his Pokémon should be able to take care of Aggron easily."

Erynn nodded at Michelle's remark.

"We've seen all her Pokémon's moves… now it's just to see if she can overcome the odds."

At this, she turned to look at Ash, but the teenage boy's face betrayed no emotion.

"This should turn out to be _pretty_ interesting…"

**T E N T O R F O G**

The room was like so many he'd been in before.

It was cold, sterile, and, more importantly, had no obvious exits. Slowly he slipped off the bed and got to his feet.

"This isn't my bunk…" he breathed softly.

He understood how he could have mistaken it for his own room before; the dormitories in the place they'd come to call home were all alike.

The tiled floor beneath his feet was entirely immaculate; there was no sign of dust or a grime to be seen. Walls lined with expensive-looking equipment surrounded him. His eyes widened as he realized just where he was.

It was one of their testing laboratories.

He'd been here before; as one studying the ways of the Tentor Fog. He'd seen strange things here; some, like the Porygon3, were unique; even special. Others, like the set-ups which looked suspiciously like foetuses of PokéMorphs, were merely grotesque.

Now he was in a room, alone with only his SP Pokéball beside him. He examined it for a moment; flexing his fingers in the memory of the pain it had caused him. Was it really…?

"Can't have been…"

He reached out a hand to take the ball, when the door slid open behind him.

Jumping, he turned to see the personal secretary of the Admin Skately. Ivy was dressed in the standard blue-grey ensemble, her dark grey eyes looking over the top of her shades at the boy who stood before her.

"Reno… Quinn, I believe."

She stepped forward slowly, her right hand scribbling small notes onto the pad she held in her left. Reno let his hand drop back to his side, raising his other hand to his temple in the customary salute. The woman nodded perfunctorily.

He noticed her gaze transfixed upon the SP ball that still lay on his table. He knew there wasn't any point in beating around the bush.

"If you want the ball, why not just take it?" he asked wearily.

She looked surprised at his casual comment, but recovered to laugh a small laugh; one which lacked mirth, and only held contempt.

Despite the mask, Reno couldn't help but realize that this self-possessed person was hardly older than he was.

"The workings of the SP ball are far beyond your understanding…

"Suffice to say, no one else can ever use that ball."

Reno's eyes widened in confusion; the red-brown tint of colour in his eyes flashed in the light.

"You mean… it'll only open to my touch…?"

At this, Ivy turned away, as though unwilling to try to explain. Seconds later, though, she turned back to face him.

"Think of the acronym we came up with. SP. It might seem like any other arrangement of letters to you, but it's really far more.

"We called it a Shadow Partner. A Pokémon which would be exactly suited to the trainer; a Pokémon which would inherit all the strength and power of its trainer.

"A Pokémon built like an exact shadow."

She paused, allowing the boy to understand just what she was getting at. She never looked at him; she watched the apparatus along the walls register indecipherable figures.

"To any other person, the SP ball will appear empty. That's because there really never _is_ anything in the SP ball to begin with.

"The SP ball is a state-of-the-art, technological marvel. When your blood had first sunk into the ball, it analyzed and broke down your life-signature into its various components.

"Brain waves are electrical patterns, did you know that? The SP ball is able to sense these electrical currents, translating it into data for the it to record. Were you to use the ball right now, the ball would re-activate, tracing every single emotion or action you feel."

Reno opened his mouth to speak, but was silenced by a look from Ivy. As he waited for her to continue, she continued to make her way slowly across the room, presumably checking the instruments.

"Just imagine; a Pokémon whose shape and form would be dictated entirely by your emotions; by the way you feel; and, most importantly, by the strength of your will."

At this, she broke off; she didn't seem to want to reveal anymore. Reno watched her wordlessly as she walked slowly toward the door again, her observations complete. But, at the point of crossing the door, she stopped.

"But something strange happened with you, didn't it?"

Her voice echoed throughout the room; silent now. Reno stood breathlessly, awaiting her diagnosis of what had happened to him. Quietly he looked from the SP ball to Ivy, hoping that she would be able to tell him more, yet dreading to find out just what went wrong.

"Good luck, then."

Her voice was cold and abrupt; like a slap to the face. The sliding door closed behind her as he collapsed back onto the bed; but what she had told him echoed in his head for days to come.

**A/N: I've finally come to the end of this chapter! Technically I had it done much earlier, but I wasn't sure how to end it. Now I have, I hope you all look forward to Dave's battle next!**

**Thanks for all the cool reviews on my sorta-revival chapter; while I won't be able to clear up the mysteries so fast (I mean, where's the fun in that?), I hope that the story itself will continue to intrigue, even as I keep this going.**

**Once again, thanks for the encouragement and please review!**


	39. Experience :: Unanswered

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. And you can probably count the number of times I've said this.**

**Well, the exams are over at last! Now I can begin proper on my fic again. As always, please hold on a second while I open another document to figure out where I last stopped.**

…

**Okay, here I am. Dave's Azurill versus Elizabeth's Aron. Ooh… just noticed a few typos in the later part of my previous chapter; hope no one found that too jarring. Anyways, yeah, the battle. I've got a few concepts for it already; seeing as it's Azurill, count on a few (if not more) laughs.**

**And really, that's all I have to say. I'm not sure how soon I'll finish this, since I've recently gotten my Rescue Team Seagreen up and fully operational, so I might sneak away for some Mystery Dungeon at times… but, well, Chapter 39, begin!**

** Post-Production Note: And here, seven days after I completed it, Chapter 39, begin!  
**

"An Azurill…?"

Elizabeth couldn't help but smile at the choice. The small blue Pokémon shook its head as though awakening from a nap, smiling up at the Aron on the other side of the field. It seemed to be entirely oblivious to what was going on around it.

"You sure you're choosing _that_ Pokémon…?"

Dave didn't know what to say; a choice had been made, and now all he could do was stick by it. He nodded, tensing in anticipation.

"Right then…" Sera spoke from the sidelines, "The battle between Dave's Azurill and Elizabeth's Aron begins—" she waved her flag at this, "now!"

"Dodge it!" Dave shouted.

Elizabeth opened her mouth to relay a command, and then shut it again. Azurill rolled around on the field. Dave frowned a moment, then spoke.

"Eh… I assumed you were going to use an attack from the beginning…"

Everyone else in the arena was at a loss for words.

"Fine, then. Aron; Mud Slap!"

The Steel-type rushed at Azurill, sending a wave of mud rushing forward toward the Pokémon.

"Now dodge it!"

Premature the command might have first been, but it would have served him well nonetheless. However…

"Darn it…!"

Azurill squealed as the soil spattered across its face. Aron skidded to a halt, turning to survey the damage.

"Azurill…?"

The diminutive Pokémon sat rubbing its eyes for a moment, dazed by the attack, before jumping back into the fight; however ineffectual the actual jumping was.

"You okay…?"

The only response Dave received was a look of incomprehension. It dawned on Dave a second before Espeon relayed the thought.

"_Azurill can't…"_

"… Understand human," Michelle stated matter-of-factly. The fact seemed to amuse Erynn no end, though, and she turned away from the battle for just half a second.

"I hope you understand your commands, at least… let's use a Bubble attack!"

This time, Azurill nodded. Aron turned to face it as it released a stream of bubbles into the air.

Before delightedly running around, popping them.

"This battle isn't worth the effort… Aron, attack with a Take Down!"

The Steel-type responded with a muffled grunt, lowering its head as it sped forward; each step it took, it accelerated just a little more…

Azurill stopped playing with the bubbles, turning to stare at its impending doom. Dave couldn't think of a single thing to say. Which was just as well; it wouldn't have understood anyway.

Aron slammed straight into the Water Pokémon; or would have, if the Water Pokémon had still been there.

"Wha…?"

Azurill bounced out of the way with a little cry of triumph. Using its tail as some sort of pogo stick, it expertly dodged each of Aron's attacks.

"What is it doing…?"

The look on Azurill's face wasn't one of a Pokémon fighting, either. The look of happiness on its face was unmistakeable.

"It's… playing a game…"

Everyone watched as Azurill continued bouncing around Aron; as the unusually-coloured Pokémon tired of the ineffectual rushes, the attacks ceased. Dave, on the other hand, was beginning to see the possibilities of Azurill's disposition. His only difficulty now was in translating the concept of 'Tag with Water Gun' to Azurill.

"That's it, Azurill! Now use Water Gun on Aron!"

Recognizing its name, the attack, and its adversary from his speech of apparent nonsense, the Pokémon fired a series of Water Guns at the other Pokémon.

"Dodge it!"

Aron complied, almost lazily. The attacks were slow, but that didn't tell about its potency. For all anyone knew, a single Water Gun might've been enough to take it out.

"Now, Take Down!"

Spotting a gap in the stream of Water Guns, Aron jumped from side to side until it managed a jump sending it flying right over Azurill, and on the way down. The baby Pokémon ceased its attacks as it squealed.

"Now, Bubble!"

As again, Azurill shot a stream of bubbles into the air. This time, though, the popping had some outside help.

"Aron!"

The Rock-Headed Pokémon might not have taken any damage from the recoil, but Bubbles were not something easily taken down, especially if you were a Steel and Ground type.

"That's interesting…"

Michelle turned to look at Ash.

"What is…?"

"Dave's Azurill's Bubble floats almost stationary in the air… the only reason Aron's taking damage at all is because it flew right into the attack."

"So would you say Dave's smart, or just lucky?" was Erynn's contribution.

"A little of both, I guess…"

Both Pokémon faced each other again. One with an air of indifference; the other, nonchalance. It was difficult to know which was which; in fact, it was difficult to discern the difference in insouciance of both words to begin with. The author just thought it'd be cool to add it there. Confusion reigned.

Back in the Elem region, Elizabeth sighed.

"Didn't think I'd have to use this move on such a weak Pokémon, but…"

"Azurill's not weak!" Dave called back, then, realizing that Azurill didn't understand a word he spoke anyways, conceded the point.

"Fine, it is. But it'll still beat your Aron any day of the week!"

Elizabeth couldn't help but shake her head at this.

"Any day, maybe, but I guess Friday's out of the question. Aron, use a Shock Wave, now!"

It was at about this time that Dave realized the author was writing this part on a Friday, and it probably wasn't going to end well for Azurill.

"Shock Wave… the unavoidable Electric attack…"

"… till you get ground down by a Marowak." Ash spoke out loud.

"Wha…?" the two girls stared at him as though he'd been struck by some contagious neurosis.

"Whoa…" Ash shook his head clear. "Dumb song…"

Azurill sat on the ground, almost entirely oblivious of the silent electrical energy coursing through the whole of Aron.

"Now! Combination Shock Wave Take Down!"

Azurill noticed, too late, the twin streaks of lightning flying either side of Aron as the Pokémon rushed toward it.

"_This… doesn't look like fun…!"_

The twin bolts zapped it on either side, paralyzing it as Aron ran straight into the Pokémon. It flew back, knocked out cold. Mercifully.

Dave recalled it with a twinge of regret. At having called it out to begin with and wasting one Pokémon choice.

"Really?" he asked the air thoughtfully.

No, just playing around with your personality a bit.

"You did great, Azurill. Too bad that nasty voice up there doesn't like you."

As a matter of fact I do! I like Azurills and Teddiursas and… Ditto! Ditto's cool!

He clipped the Pokéball back onto his belt as he considered the Aron on the field.

"Spectropus! Finish the job!"

The Pokéball opened in a flash of red immateria as a length of what appeared to be Octillery skin fell to the ground. Then it began to shudder, as it exuded an aura of defilement; of undeath. Slowly the shell rose, as ghostly wisps of tentacles peeled away from the flesh. Elizabeth raised an eyebrow.

"I'm surprised you caught one of these… they're not very common anywhere near the surface… you found a way down despite the collapse?"

Dave nodded, while the remaining three trainers and umpire stared at them quizzically.

"Come to think of it, Dave never _did_ tell us how exactly he came upon Spectropus… I guess RJ knows the whole story."

"RJ…?" Michelle asked. Erynn waved a hand.

"Before your time. About half an hour before your time, really."

Michelle nodded slowly.

"Lucky him," Ash said under his breath.

Dave couldn't help but feel embarrassed at the commotion behind him. No one else really seemed to mind though, except that Sera was incapacitated as an umpire _ala_ giggling fit.

"Spectropus; let's begin this with a Whirlpool attack!"

The command was sudden; startled back into reality, the fight between the trainers on the bench ceased. The attack itself, however, was a little slower in releasing.

"Get out of the way, Aron!"

The Pokémon sped to a side even if the attack was shot forth; in a whirl of tentacles, Spectropus manipulated the stream of water so it spread out in a raging cone-shaped whirlpool.

If the attack had been cylindrical, Aron might still have managed to remain on safe ground. As it was, the Pokémon was swept away by the power of the attack, crashing to the ground a distance away. The dust cleared only a moment later.

Shakily, the Shiny Pokémon stood, fazed by the dramatic difference in opponent difficulty. But it stood, and that was enough for its next attack.

"Shock Wave!"

The Pokémon charged itself with the same electric power again, its metal shell coursing with electrical energy.

"Spectropus, Withdraw!"

Even as the twin bolts of lightning streaked towards its target, the shell that was Spectropus shimmered and fell to the ground; the damage was there, but it was still insubstantial. A spark, and then it was just a scratch on the unfeeling, rubbery skin.

"Now, respond with a Constrict attack!"

Even as Aron recovered, Spectropus rose from the ground, rushing forward with astonishing speed.

"Aron! Charge yourself up with energy one more time!"

But it was too late; the tentacles lashed out, wrapping Aron within; they might have been merely spectral, but the damage they did was still real.

"Aron's natural resistance is no use in this situation…" Erynn spoke in an undertone. Michelle nodded.

"Its Steel body is no use against an attack from a ghostly body."

"I wonder… are all Normal attacks it uses turned to Ghost-type, then?"

Ash's question ended the small discussion as Aron was knocked out by a final Whirlpool.

"That's done it…!"

Elizabeth recalled Aron, nodding as she released her Lairon.

"It looks like the deal's on your side this time round… let's see if this can't even things up…"

Dave tensed to receive her attack.

"Start things off with a Take Down!"

"Acid Armour, Spectropus!"

**T E N T O R F O G**

He had been told that he would no longer have to return to Delta Twelve; that a new section had been set up that he would be joining shortly. He knew it was because of the SP Ball incident, but he still didn't know exactly how that made him different.

His new room was more spacious now; it was for him and him alone. In the dormitory he'd been assigned there were only three people he'd seen to date.

The first was a girl: long, strikingly-white hair; pretty—that sort. She wore glasses, strangely, in a world built around contacts and shades. She'd had an SP Ball on her belt when he'd first spotted her, but also two other Pokéballs. Considering he'd had all of his confiscated when he first arrived, he supposed she was some sort of Senior.

The second had been a boy, who'd come up behind him out of nowhere. A second later, he was gone. He still wasn't quite sure if he really existed.

The third person had been himself; the first time he'd passed by a mirror in months. He had no idea why he'd never seen another one, but even the glass in the facility was non-reflective. The weeks of training had toughened him up so he hardly recognized himself.

His hair had been a dark brown when he'd first entered the facility; now, for some inexplicable reason, there was a streak of white among the darkness: so white it was almost alien.

Stress alone couldn't have caused it. He knew, from the way it felt to his hand, that it was a mark. A mark he mightn't have asked for, but one he now had, for better or worse.

_Of my Shadow Partner…_

He was disturbed by the arrival of a new message; each room had an electronic glass panel which displayed holograms regarding official updates. He turned to watch it as it updated itself, displaying a series of notifications.

Standing up from his chair and walking over to the board, he waved a hand across the length of it to push away the uninteresting things until he found what he was looking for.

_The creation of a new squad, **Echo Five**, was deemed necessary after the **SP Ball** testing inadvertently revealed a small number of deviant subjects…_

"Deviant subjects…"

He mused over the term for a bit, and then skimmed through the rest of the information, which he had already known, or at least, guessed.

… _the team is to consist of **Angela Noir**, **Crim Maerin**, **Gerard Sharp**, and **Reno Quinn**. Their trainer is yet to be…_

There were to be four of them, then. He'd seen all of them but one; one of the two girls, obviously. He looked toward the end of the message.

… _to meet outside **Training Room Eight** at **1300 hours**._

"… In eighteen minutes' time…"

He waved his hand once more, to turn the screen off. Pulling his jacket over him, he turned the lights off and stepped out of his room, only to find three others already there.

"You're Reno, then," the girl he'd first seen observed.

He nodded, realizing that the three were most probably the other members of Echo Five.

"What's your mark, then?" a very pale boy was asking the other girl. The girl, in response, looked straight at him. Piqued, Reno stepped beside the boy and realized that the girl in question had irises of different colours. Red and Blue.

"Marks…?"

The boy turned to look at him in surprise.

"You're new, aren't you?"

Reno didn't know what to say, and instead decided to let him continue. At the very least, he wouldn't know less than he did before.

"Each of us already has figured it out. This SP Ball," he weighed the object in his hands, "can somehow give us the characteristics of certain Pokémon."

He waited for Reno to appear impressed, but it didn't happen.

"It's like an avatar," the red-and-blue-eyed girl took over, "as long as we have our… Shadow Partner, they call it—as long as we have it released, we can summon its powers from within ourselves."

"As a result," the first girl, who'd been quiet for most of the talk, continued, "we're all also marked in certain ways by the Pokémon within us."

"I'm Gerard Sharp," the boy spoke again, "and if I'm not mistaken, I've got a Kecleon for a partner." His skin seemed a little darker now.

The second girl proffered a hand, which he shook. "I'm Crim, and apparently I've got something like schizophrenia, because the ball landed me with Plusle _and_ Minun."

Reno took a step back, unsure.

"You mean… we're Pokémorphs, or something?"

Gerard spoke again.

"Strictly speaking, no. We're still almost entirely human. It's only with the power of the SP Ball that we gain the attributes of our Pokémon. Well—most of them, anyway."

"But why was this new section necessary, then…?"

Crim shrugged. "Beats me; though I think we're the only ones adversely affected by the SP Balls… no one else has my eyes, anyway."

The first girl, Angela, apparently, spoke at last.

"They told me, when I was lying half-conscious in my bed, that the SP Ball copied our life signatures, transformed it into a conscious entity; a Pokémon. It's probable that this is just one of the side-effects…"

Reno nodded slowly. Crim turned to Angela before she could retreat into her quiet self again.

"What about you…? Your mark is…"

At that, the girl turned to face her, her hair fanning out gently behind her.

"This hair I have… it wasn't always this long… in fact; it wasn't anywhere near this length until a week ago.

"To the best of my knowledge, I believe that I have a Ninetales as my Shadow Partner."

"Isn't your hair supposed to split into nine separate parts or something…?" Crim asked, staring at it interestedly. Angela smiled, despite herself.

"If it did, I doubt I'd ever be able to fit in. Don't pull it though…"

"… The thousand-year curse of a Ninetales," Reno finished. "That'd be hard to live down."

The joke was appreciated, and attention shifted to him now.

"What about you…? I'm guessing that white streak wasn't dyed on?" Crim's thirst for answers seemed insatiable.

Reno shook his head ruefully.

"To be honest, I've no idea what kind of Pokémon my Shadow Partner is meant to be. I only just got here, and anyways I didn't want to risk feeling the pain again…"

"Pain…?" Crim wondered, "I had a feeling of uplifting; of euphoria when I first bonded with the SP Ball. Kind of like a sugar rush, but stranger."

"What pain?" Gerard echoed, "My experience of the bonding was just a tingling all over my body; felt funny, but wasn't painful, no."

Before any of them had a chance to respond again, Crim gave a small yelp.

"It's already five minutes to one! We'd better hurry if we're to get there on time…!"

She hurried off, followed by Gerard. Angela turned to go, but then stopped, turning back to look at him one more time. The expression in her eyes told him that the pain, for her, was all too real.

**A/N: Chapter 39, complete in one night! If I had the internet connection up and running, I'd probably upload it tonight. But I don't; so there. There. A full explanation of the SP balls, just what you wanted! Almost. You can't, of course, be sure that their explanations were genuine; there's a lot more going on than most people know, or even understand.**

**And I'm realizing that the reason there was only one badge-collector in every Pokémon show is because it just takes too darn long to go through four battles in one Gym. Don't worry, though, I will prevail! I hope. Anyways, if you liked it, hated it, want to eat it (don't know if that's good or not) then review!**


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